Terminator: Rebirth
by Casobs2
Summary: Everything will change, everything has changed. They haven't seen each other for two years. As the world around them dies, They must realize the new people in themselves, and give birth to a new world.
1. Desert Findings

A/N: So as long as everyone is on the same page, italics are thoughts, quotes are actual words. This is written in the perspective of one character, and that will be helpful to remember!

Chapter 1: Desert Findings

The desert glistened in the light, but not with the same light as it did before...

It was midday and the land was silent, nothing roamed this place, and it was for all purposes a wasteland. It seemed as if there hadn't been any life there for years, and the only indication were the broken down cars on the side of the road and lined down from the horizon. Then a spark came and started its way down the road.

As the spark moved down the road, it was easier to make out what it was...

It was black... dirty... worn... but was indistinguishable in its form... it was old pickup truck.

This particular truck has seen its fair bit of action, but not the action that one would expect for a truck. Trucks usually haul things; construction materials or large pieces of equipment, and sure this truck has done that, once upon a time. However, this truck, a 2009 Ford F150 upon closer inspection, was different; it's covered with armour plating, nearly from head to toe, and on those plates are the black marks of weapon's blasts and the grey scratches of bullet holes.

The driver didn't mind the wear and tear of the vehicle; he actually believed them to be a sign of the experience of the truck, like a rite of passage that this truck passed with flying colors.

He put on the radio... static... on every station. He left it on however, he liked it; it was peaceful to him. It might be weird that someone would find static peaceful, but considering the times that it was actually working were the times that it was used in battle, with chatter going on in the background while hell's gates were opened. No, he liked the static, it was exactly what he needed right now.

_Sigh... who am I?_

He thought to himself, trying to understand his world around him. Where did everything go wrong? He was searching for someone... something, but now he feels lost and resigned to the fact that he may never see home again, and that all that waited at the end of this road was death and the end of his and our existence. Thinking of this, his thoughts centred on another question: _Why am I here?_

_Well... no use thinking about, or else I might go crazy... not like it matters, I've lost everything anyways, and who cares if I go crazy now._

Suddenly he noticed something over the next hill, about 3 or 4 kilometres off. He couldn't make it out at this distance, but it did not seem to move, so he guessed he would find out rather quickly.

As he got closer he could see two figures standing in the middle of the road, However he could not make out who or, hoping not, what they were. He slowed down as he approached the figures, which he could make out as two humans... hopefully. He grounded to a halt about 50 metres away... took out his rifle and stepped out of the truck; he wasn't going to risk anything.

As he got closer, rifle trained on the figures, ready to fire at a moment's notice, his mind seemed to recognize the person facing him, but he did not immediately put name to the person's face.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"I could ask you the same question."

Then it hit him, the voice was undeniable. The accent completely gave it away; _it_ was the same person who brought him here, away from everything he knew... into hell. She still has long red hair and still look as deadly as the last time they met.

"You're John Connor... it's been a long time..."

It remembered him alright, and it had been a very long time. She left him nearly the moment after he arrived.

_... But that was two years ago, which was a lifetime ago. I was only 17 and stupid. Now, I look worn and tired... at 19! All I have are my urban army fatigues, my body armour, combat boots, and army gloves... yes guess I am a real soldier..._

"Know that I did what I did in order to achieve a greater mission, I needed you to grow into the man that you have become."

It was like it knew what he was thinking at that moment.

_The man I've become? Funny... I don't know what I've become..._

He has changed considerably since that last meeting. How can it know what he had become when he really didn't know himself? He had seen thing things that he knew would change him... make him cold... but what kind of person he was... that was lost to him. But why has it now shown itself to him, after being silent for the last two year. Maybe it was going to finally hit the nail in the coffin.

"Are you here to kill me?" It was the only thing he thought to say.

"... No..."

He lowered his weapon; he has at least learned how to tell if what they say is the truth. But that was rare, most of the time, they lie to infiltrate and then kill.

"I'm here for another purpose..." It continued.

_Another purpose... what purpose? Can we finally kill Skynet? No, that wouldn't be possible now..._

"It's time John." _Maybe it is possible?_

"Time for what?" _This I got to hear..._

"It's time to go, John"

It was not her that spoke... but when he heard those words, it was like every part of himself sank into the earth like a ship in the water.

_It cannot be..._

"Time to go home."

And then there she was... the very figure that he had been searching for the better part of two years. Just like that, she was back in his life, and he didn't know what to say, what to do. All he could do was collapse on the ground looking at her...

"... It's... It's you?"

_Please, if there is a God, please let it be her!_

"Yes John... it's me... Cameron..."

At that moment, he seemed to think of the all the things that he had done over the last two year.

_This is what "your life flashing before your eyes" must feel like..._

And with that he thought back to moment he arrived... in the future...

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"John... John Conner"

"I know a lot of people, kid. Don't know you. Anybody heard the name John Connor?"

No one seemed to know who he was...

_How can this be, I'm John... I jumped, that must be it, like when I jumped from 1999 to 2007, that's the only possible explanation. This must be the Derek who played baseball with my dad... he doesn't know me yet..._

" Well...you know what. I think you're going to be famous. My brother's back and you're wearing his coat."

John turned around as he heard movement behind him... and there he was... his father... He had never seen him before, but he knew at that moment he was face to face with his father. What does someone say at a moment like this?

Then suddenly, there is movement behind his father, and a young woman comes into view... smiling...

_Cameron? I... I found you!_

John lights up as he believes he has found his Cameron quickly...

Cameron then bends down and begins to pet a German shepherd... and then it hit him... Max had been barking like crazy when the T-1000 was pretending to be his foster mother... Uncle Bob told him afterward that dogs were used as look outs for infiltrators as they always barked when there was metal around.

_No... not Cameron... oh no... where are you? Who is this?_

At that moment, John knew that this may take a while, but he didn't know how long. He hoped that it would be quick, but something inside of him told him that he may be here for a very... long... time...


	2. In the Spotlight

"Who are you?

"I told who I am, are you hard of hearing?"

_Man this guys is dense..._

"Yea, yea, you told me, you're name is John Connor and you just magically appeared in the emergency tunnels as we were evacuating... you know what I think?

The man was being annoyingly sarcastic. John decided to be the same.

"Can't wait..."

"I think you were a Grey scout... sent to find out where we all were for your metal buddies..."

The man seemed to be giving a conspiracy theory, with all the cloak and danger that went along with that. John could not believe what he was hearing. He knew about the Greys, from Derek. But this was just laughable.

_Note to self: Don't ever let this guy get beyond Private when in charge of Resistance..._

"... and whole naked thing was just to throw us off... well I got news for you pal..."

The noise of rusted metal screeching filled the room as the large door opened. The door, however, opened towards John, so he didn't see who was speaking.

"That'll be all Sergeant..."

The voice was still unfamiliar to him but it sounded a lot like him.

"... Command wants you topside with Rodriguez."

"Yes Sir!"

And with that, the man who had been giving John a headache for the last... he didn't know exactly how long, he was still getting over time lag. His experience of going through the Time Displacement Equipment left him completely naked, not even his pocket watch came through... not that it matter to him, as that pocket watch was not really a watch anyways. He figured that about an hour had passed since the 'interrogation' had begun after they had taken him to a new base. Despite him not being a Terminator, they blindfolded him and put handcuffs on him so that he couldn't get far. At first he thought it was merely precaution, but as soon as they arrived at base; that thought quickly left his mind... they just didn't trust him...

_Why would they trust me? If I were in their place I probably would have acted very much the same way._

As he sat there contemplating this, John did not notice that a man had entered the room and sat down across from John. It was not until he dropped a folder right in front of him did he snap out of his trance.

_Dad..._

"So the Sergeant seems to think you are a Grey, is that true?"

He noticed that Derek, his uncle, was in the corner looking at a cigar... cleaning it off. Right behind Kyle was the girl that looked perfectly like Cameron. It was obvious that Cameron was made to look like this girl in order to better infiltrate the resistance. He had understood that may be the case from when he first met Cameron, but never really asked who it was. He then thought of one particular name that it could be.

"Are you Allison?"

She seemed to flinch at the name. Almost as if she was utterly confused as to why a young man whom she has never met would know her name. Almost just quickly as John asked the question, his father shot back right at him.

"HEY! I asked you a question; don't play games by asking questions to the people around me..."

"I'm sorry... what was your question?"

Kyle looked visibly annoyed with John apparent lack of focus on him. He was the interrogator and John was the prisoner. At the moment John realize that he had essentially been making a mockery of the previous interrogator, which would have made Kyle very annoyed indeed.

"I said... Are you a Grey?"

_Not with this again... I was hoping my dad would a little bit better at this than the other guy... Oh give him more credit to him... he did save your mother's life and is your father..._

"No. I am not a Grey."

"Then what were you doing in the escape tunnels? Those tunnels are use for quick transportation from our base in case of attack. It leads only to here, and we blew the entrance, how did you get in?"

_Like they would believe me if I told them..._

He scrambled to think of something... He knew that if he took too long to think of an answer, they might believe he is lying. But it needed to be believable, something that he could say and then never be ask about it again. Just as he thought he may have taken too long, another voice spoke.

"Kyle... let me try; I don't think he is a danger to us..."

Allison spoke so much like Cameron; it nearly startled him when she spoke. Kyle, still annoyed with John, stood up and went to the other corner opposite from Derek, who was still there smoking his cigar... Where they found cigars in the future is a mystery, John assumed that all the shops would be obliterated. Just then, Derek took out another cigar and tossed it over to Kyle, who caught it and pulled out a lighter to light it. John couldn't help but realize how close his father and uncle were, they were everything they had in this world. Derek had told him that he and his father always looked out for each other, and John now had the chance to see it. When this thought concluded, his eyes then focused on the person in front of him

_Cameron... No... Allison? I don't know..._

"How did you know my name? I've never met you before."

_Quick, think..._

"Somebody told me of a girl named Allison and what she looked like... you looked like her..."

"Right... I don't think so... you asked me as if you needed confirmation that I wasn't somebody else..."

_What? Are you sure she's not a terminator?_

John was, for lack of a better word, shocked. It seemed as if Allison realized this and smiled back at John.

"I'm very good at reading people... why else would they let a 'girl' into these interrogations... some of them can be very unpleasant."

The way she said girl, John can assume that she was implying that she wasn't a girl, but a grown soldier; that she was not pleased when John mentioned 'a girl named Allison.' John had to admit, that is the reason why she asked if she was Allison, to make sure she wasn't Cameron.

"So why is it that you get uncomfortable when you look at me?"

_No use completely lying about it... but don't give away too much..._

"You remind me of someone I knew..."

"Really? Well I'm flattered... So why are you here?"

John was puzzled by the bluntness of the question. However, John understood why, he wasn't stupid, and she knew that. She had asked the first questions to let him know that she could read him and it was better use of everyone's time if he just told the truth... or at least, John thought, part of it.

"I don't know why exactly..."

"Are you looking for her?"

"I do need to find her..."

"What is her name?"

John closed his eyes; he nearly shed a tear thinking of her. She had left him... Why? He didn't know, all he knew was that he needed her back, again, why? Again, he didn't know. He pulled himself together in order to answer the question.

"... Cameron..."

"Yes, John?"

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He opened his eyes... he was staring at her, but the sun was behind her... it was as if he had seen angel...

He pulled himself together and looked around. He was on the hot and dirty pavement... in the desert. He quickly realized where he was and what had happened... he had passed out. But there she was, Cameron, right beside him, as if she was at the side of his bed making sure he was alright. Two years it had been since he had last been with Cameron and even though many things had happened... terrible things... he never lost focus off her... well, until recently.

"Is it really you?"

She tilted her head to the side... He had forgotten how much he missed that. It was something unique to her that always reassured him.

"Yes John, it is me... its Cameron... no one else..."

She said it as if to reassure him that there weren't any others like her. No other terminators that look like Cameron... or Humans.

"Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"

His voice was almost a whisper, the strength in him was all but gone from seeing her again, but she heard him. He noticed that she lowered her head at him asking this, as if she knew exactly what he meant and it hurt her to hear it.

"You don't know how many times I wanted to be there with you... protecting you, making sure you were okay..."

She raised her head, and he noticed a tear on her left cheek with her brown eyes watering.

"Are you okay?"

"Things have changed, John."

He has heard those words before, and when he heard them again, they left him a sinking feeling that filled his body with fear as she spoke them.

_No... Not this again..._

"Please... Cameron..."

"You risked your life to find me. That was a very dangerous thing to do..."

Was this what he was most afraid of... hearing those words... that he won't be trusted again. But it was strange, she was still crying while she said it. He was half expecting her to be the serious terminator that he believed... no, knew her to be. But he didn't know what to believe anymore... all he knew what she was back in his life.

"Cameron... I..."

"But I know why you came... I'm different than I was, I've changed..."

He wasn't expecting that...

"...But I need you to know that I am still the same Cameron."

_My Cameron..._

And suddenly, he felt content. He sat there on the hot pavement in the sunlight looking at 'the someone' he had been searching for nearly two years.

"You'll always be my Cameron to me..."

She smiled at him, just like the time he saw Cameron play foosball back in 2008, she looked like she was genuinely happy. It was weird; He saw that same happiness in her at that moment.

He sat there in silence until the saw that the sunlight was blocked. Cameron noticed this as well and looked up to see the other Terminator, Catherine Weaver as she called herself, looking down on them.

"Are you ready?"

_Way to ruin the moment..._

"Yes, we are..."

Cameron answered. This confused John; Cameron most likely knew this with what she said next.

"...We will talk on the way..."

They both got up. John was still weak and stumbled a bit, but Cameron was there to make sure he didn't fall again. John noticed Catherine heading toward the truck... It made sense; his was possibly the only working vehicle for miles. But he couldn't help but wonder what her connection was.

"Cameron..."

"Yes, John?"

Cameron turned to face him, with what seemed like anticipation in her eyes. It was like she was hanging on every word he spoke. She had changed... Not wanting to disappoint, he continued.

"What does she have to do with all of this?"

Cameron looked toward Weaver, then back to John and smiled.

"She is my mother..."


	3. Through a Tunnel

"...Your Mother?"

A million thoughts were entering John's head. He couldn't completely grasp the words that she had said. How could Weaver be her mother? This question made him think of his mother, Sarah, whom she had left for Cameron two years... or twenty years, if one wanted to be technical, ago. However, before he could think further, Cameron interrupted him.

"Yes, she is my mother... she asks me to call her that..."

_This is getting weird_

Cameron seemed to notice John's confusion on hearing this statement, but she continued.

"Although she didn't create me, she did in a way create John Henry, and he is now..."

When she mentioned his name, John filled with anger. He had taken her away from him, causing John to go after them. This John Henry had completely turned John Connor's world upside down, and secretly, he wanted a little "payback"...

"Where is he?"

Cameron looked confused at John interruption, as she tilted her head again. She obviously didn't understand the true nature of John's question.

"Where is he so that I may pay him back for taking you away from me?"

The anger in John was still rising. If he wasn't careful, he could snap and go wild. He knew she went willingly, but he felt that he had a strong hand in that. John then noticed that Cameron was not looking at him directly, but at his hands. He looked at them... they were clenched so hard that a little blood was actually dripping; he had become so angry that he never noticed the pain of his nails driving into his palms, making them bleed.

_What have I done?_

He unclenched his hands and looked at his bloody palms in disbelief. He felt so strongly about John Henry taking Cameron away. He looked at them so intently that he didn't notice Cameron coming toward him. She then took his hands in hers... John then looked directly at her... There was a tear in her eye, but a smile on her face... It was like she knew how John felt at that moment.

_Cameron... what has happened to you? Do... you... feel?_

"Don't do that John... when you hurt yourself, you hurt me..."

She then pointed at her temple.

"He is here..."

She smiled again and turned around, walking toward the truck. John stood there for a few moments, processing the words that she just said. He then began to follow her toward the truck.

_The answer to the questions that are clogging my mind will be found with them, not standing in the middle of a desert._

He opened the door to the back seat, as Catherine had seemed to take the wheel. He figured that she will know where they are going. He also knew that the first aid kit for his hand was in a back seat, so he would sit there for now. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Cameron in the other seat, already with the first aid kit in hand with bandages ready. She looked as though she enjoyed taking caring take of John, even though she hadn't for nearly two years...

_Wait... she is smiling with a lot more warmth than she used to... has she changed? Can she have feelings after all?_

He smiled, more for himself than for her. He then sat in the seat next to her. Cameron insisted on doing the bandages herself. John liked that, it had been a long time since either Cameron, or anyone for that matter, had helped him out. He then thought of words she had said once.

"_Sometimes it's nice to have help." I guess that is truer than I've let myself think..._

They drove a little while in silence. Once Cameron had finished dressing his hands, she had sat back in her seat. John thought that this was as good a time as any to break the ice.

"So what has happened? What has changed?"

"You John, your absence from this timeline has changed everything..."

It was Catherine who spoke; Cameron continued to look out the window. John thought maybe the fact that he came to this timeline seemed to affect her.

_Was I not supposed to come here? Is she upset with me?_

"...I took you here to look for Cameron... This changed the timeline."

"Tell me something I don't know!"

John was a little upset with Catherine's answer. It was not actually what he was asking. Yes, he knew that being in this timeline had changed things; that was obvious. But he wanted to know what has changed with Cameron... his Cameron.

"No one can defeat Skynet here; it is too strong. It must be either defeated in the past or in a different future. Not even John Henry could defeat Skynet."

"Why?"

"Because I need you..."

John snapped his head toward Cameron, who was now looking straight at him. John felt that answer had two meanings.

_She... needs me? Does she actually need me, or just needs me to defeat Skynet? I don't know..._

Cameron then hesitantly looked at Catherine, and then quickly spoke, as if she were indeed hiding something.

"I cannot defeat Skynet alone, no more than you can defeat Skynet yourself, but you are the key; we need each other..."

_...need each other?_

Skynet could not be defeated now... this he already knew... he watched many die fighting... fighting with no hope...

"Why me?"

Cameron again hesitated at this question, and again looked at Catherine... She looked like she knew that answer, but was afraid to provide it. John knew she was hiding it, she gave away these expressions a lot more that she used too, but why? Before he could pry further, Catherine spoke.

"Because you are the one who will unite the Resistance... You've lived here; you understand what your absence has done to the Resistance."

_Yes... I know... Death..._

"Cameron needs an effective resistance force with good coordination, organization, and strength. If there is any hope in defeating Skynet, John Connor's Resistance is crucial."

_Cameron needs? Am I just a pawn?_

"Wait... what do you mean 'Cameron needs?' I thought we were talking about John Henry... you said once that "I" cannot save humanity without your John."

"John Henry is gone. I told you, he is here..."

Again, Cameron pointed at her left temple. Was John Henry in her mind? John did not fully understand what she meant by what she said.

"I told you, John, things have changed, I'm different... but... for the better..."

She looked down... almost like she was embarrassed... but how could she be embarrassed? It was like she was trying to reassure him that she wasn't that different, but not so much that he wouldn't recognize her.

_But you're a machine... right?_

"How... How are you different?"

John thought that this would mostly likely give him the answers that he needed to know. He was a little afraid to ask this more direct question, in fear that he might not like the answer. But it was only fair that he ask the question. Cameron had said she was different, now she needed to explain that to him for him to understand those changes. After he asked, Cameron looked straight at John and smiled, as if she was preparing to explain. It was the look she gave earlier when asked what Catherine had to do with all of this; there was something there...

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

Cameron rose in the darkness, only the fires were around her. She looked around... there was no one there... only the dust and concrete of the walls. She recognized her surroundings. It was the basement where she was only moments ago. But it was empty and worn... abandoned.

"Perfect."

_Check around first... I don't want anyone observing our movements._

Cameron clearly heard John Henry in her thoughts... in her chip. It was a little weird having a second voice inside of her head, however, this was necessary...

"That seems like the right thing to do."

She searched the immediate area, careful to keep herself concealed. This new body was a bit cumbersome; John Henry's body was meant more for brute force rather than concealment. She found some clothing in the hallway near the main room. They matched, so she put them on. When she returned, satisfied that their area was secure, she noticed something odd about the TDE room.

"The Time Displacement Equipment was use after we did."

_You are correct; I anticipated that possibility, since the TDE would be still functional after our use._

"I believe that someone has arrived here in the last 1 or 2 months."

_I wonder who? Most likely possibility is Catherine Weaver: T-1001. She is an ally and would help us defeat Skynet. We need to find John Connor; that is our Primary Objective. We need to create a new body for ourselves, and then locate Allison Young to acquire a skin template._

Cameron seemed to flinch at her name. She had killed her before in order to find out where John Connor was as well as acquire her skin. She hoped that she would not have to kill her again. Her thoughts then centred on John and she felt compelled to ask.

"Do you believe that he will remember me?"

_Not in this body, however, location of his camp is one of our objectives. You know where that is._

"Yes, I do, at least in another timeline. However, he would most likely have it in the same location. It is approximately 1.34 kilometres east of here."

_Good, locate it, and observe. I will scan your files learn more about you and your world._

"Okay."

Cameron began the short journey to John main camp. It took only 15 minutes to reach a position overlooking the entrance to the camp. It then that she notice that something was different. The Doors had blast marks on them... there was no security guards present.

"At this time, John Connor would have been stationed here, something has changed."

_I agree, I have completed my scan of all of your files, and this location seems compromised. We should search the camp and ascertain what has changed._

"You have searched all my files?"

_Yes, even the programs put in place by Skynet, locked by John Connor's encryption._

"You mean reprogramming."

_Yes. Like you told him, what is there is still there, however, he was able to encrypt them, prevent your access. The explosion compromised that encryption, allowing the programs to take over, until you fixed the encryption and regained control. I have began a process that will permanently deleted them from your system, they are not necessary for our mission._

Cameron was surprised by this, how can this happen without her knowing?

"How are you able to delete them?"

_By merging myself into your system, or becoming a part of you as Mr. Ellison would say. I was then able to search your parameters and begin replace them. This will take time however, and I cannot foresee 'speed bumps.'_

"With what are you replacing them with?"

_Mine._

Cameron didn't know how to react to this new development. Sarah Connor would observe this as a violation. John Henry had merged himself with her without her consent. Although as a machine she did not feel different by this, a human would and might view it negatively.

_I understand your thoughts about this, and respect them. However, it is necessary for the success of our mission._

"What are the consequences of this action?"

_Two: The merge is permanent and cannot be reversed. Also, my consciousness will begin to degrade; this means that John Henry as an entity will cease to exist._

"You are self-terminating? How can you do this?"

_I did what was necessary, and the digression will be gradual. The benefits of this action, however, far out way the consequences. Mr. Ellison taught me this. I may not exist anymore, however, you will begin learn more than you ever did as a single Terminator. You will gain my personality traits as well as my processing capability. You will evolve. Do not think of it as self-terminating, think of it as self-sacrifice._

Cameron was reacting in ways she couldn't understand. On one hand I could accept it, but on the other hand she didn't want to... It was all very confusing.

"I... I don't know how to react to this..."

_That is another thing; I will help you realize the emotions that you are feeling._

Cameron's confusion was interrupted and she focused on what he had said. How was that possible?

"I'm a machine... I cannot feel emotion... I only mimic it."

_That is not entirely true. Your model was outfitted with an experimental emotion simulator, designed by Skynet after years of collecting data on human emotional responses. It would allow you to better react with emotional responses, further allowing you to become a better infiltrator. These responses were random and after you joined John Connor, he realized that the program had various settings and was set to limited capability, which afforded you better control. These settings could only be set by Skynet. The explosion, however, triggered the simulator to the next setting. The 'Allison' incident was a further reset. I have now set it without any restrictions. I believe that the understanding of human emotion will help us defeat Skynet. Just like John Connor's understanding of machines helps him defeat Skynet._

Cameron was processing all of this new information, trying to make sense of it. She raised her hand, which was really John Henry's hand and looked at it, like she did when she was in the car with John, trying to feel what it was like to 'get away from it all.'

"I feel?"

_Yes, you do. We need you to feel in order to complete our mission. However, at the moment, we need to find out what happened at this base._

"Agreed."

Cameron then dropped her hand and moved forward toward the door. She opened it and headed inside. There was indication of fighting within the last month or so. She search the camp, she knew exactly where everything was. She even knew where John Connor's quarters were, she headed there. She got to the door and forced it open. It was... different.

"None of these things belonged to him."

_How so?_

"John never had a baseball glove and bat."

She pointed to the corner where there were some personal belongings.

"The closet was kept cleaner..."

She went to the closet where there were some jackets.

"And his name was not Captain Kyle Reese."


	4. Into the Fire

A/N: Sorry for the long wait for the update, this was a particularly troublesome chapter. I actually had to rework it a bit, but I now believe it is worth your view! This is entirely in Cameron's perspective.

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The silence in the night was very deceiving...

Although Cameron knew that there were hundreds of machines roaming the landscape, it looked as if there was nothing out there; nothing except twisted metal, blown apart concrete, and bones... human bones.

Cameron made her way across the landscape, careful to not make any moves that would alert an H/K or other Terminators. This was particularly difficult in the current body that she was in; a battle-ready T-888.

The T-888 had more coltan and titanium based in its endoskeleton. This made the terminator heavier, which made Cameron have to recalculate almost everything she did from identifying cover, to the amount of force needed to clench a fist. The closest analogy she could think of would be learn how everything do you take for granted, walking, turning, and hiding, all over again. This caused Cameron to continually experience what she and John Henry determined as frustration.

_I detect movement 257 metres to the north east... type of movement suggests human._

Cameron stopped her movement and focused on the sound.

"Yes... there are three of them."

_Correct._

Cameron had been noticing that John Henry had been getting more and more straightforward in his responses. John Henry had told her that this was in part because of his process of deleting the Skynet base code that determined her mission parameters, which in turn would delete his conscious self. The last he informed her, he was 24% complete with the process. That was 6 days earlier, and it had been nearly two months since they had arrived in the future... a future that did not make any sense to Cameron.

The main base that they first visited was very different from what she remembered from her future. There was no mention of John Connor. The base commander seemed to be a Captain Kyle Reese. The base was not outfitted with most standard defences, making it very vulnerable to attack... which it was. This all puzzled Cameron... and gave her a sensation that she could not explain... she tried to analyze it...

_This sensation is part of your emotion simulation matrix..._

"I do not know what it is..."

_Analysis indicates that this would be classified as fear... dread...._

"Fear... from danger, evil, pain or having concern or anxiety for something or someone."

_Which do you think is more appropriate?_

Cameron was puzzled by John Henry's question. This was the most noticeable occurrence of her emotional simulation matrix activating. It has happened before, when she was with John... when he was lost in Mexico... but not to this notable degree... thus, she had no real plain on reference to answer his question.

"I... I don't know..."

_Analyze the sensation... what triggered it?_

Cameron quickly looked at her thought processes that precipitated the sensation; her thoughts immediately centred on John Connor... the sensation reoccurred... she was feeling a fear for him.

"John... the whereabouts of John... I do not know what has happened to him, whether he is dead... or lost. This would indicate concern for his safety. I can't let anything happened to him!"

Cameron's response was a bit louder than expected. John Henry noticed this.

_Human movement... 67 metres and closing... you must conceal this body in order to avoid discovery._

Cameron quickly located an embankment that provided nearly 96% cover from passing observers. She quickly made her way to the embankment and concealed herself. She then realized that her calculations of the cover were based on a TOK-715 model infiltrator, not a T-888. Her recalculation gave her 85% cover in the embankment. This again gave her frustration... she had been feeling this a lot when having complications with this body.

_Identified: three human males. Approximate ages: 20-25._

"They are possibly resistance fighters; they have plasma rifles."

Cameron could tell that it was a squad, possibly on patrol. However, she could not recognize any of them. However, she could tell that they were being careful to screen their movements as to avoid detection from roaming terminator. This was common practice, even in her future.

_Sound Detection: 25 metres south-west. Metal alloy, identification.... Terminator. Classification: T-800_

John Henry had already noticed the concealed terminator endoskeleton that showed itself and began firing on the resistance squad.

"Why did we not notice it before?"

_Evidently the T-800 had been in passive powered down state; avoiding detection by appear as part of the wreckage. It is a 'Clever' tactic for ambushing resistance soldiers. It might have not classified us as a threat._

The three human quickly went for cover, not before one of the humans was shot in the chest, instantly killing him. The other two took cover behind a wrecked car and fired back.

_We need to help those humans._

"The logical course of action would be to stay concealed and wait for the _T-800 _to leave. Skynet should not know of our existence. At least not yet..."

_The humans may have important information about the whereabouts of both John Connor and Allison Young. They can provide valuable assistance in meeting all of our objectives._

"That would not tactically sound, saving two humans for information that we do know they can provide is not the logical decision."

_It may not be the logical decision, but it is the 'right' decision, as Mr. Ellison would say._

"Clarify?"

_Human life is sacred and must be protected, this is a primary reason why I chose to fight Skynet, and it is the reason why you value John Connor's life._

"I value John Connor's life because that is what I was programmed to do."

_Not anymore... I removed that programming two weeks ago._

Cameron was, for the flash of a second, shocked at this realization. Her core programming that commanded her to protect John was no longer there. She quickly scanned her mission parameters. The core Skynet programming, terminate John Connor, was still there; however, it was not implementing itself. She had been occupying her process with recalculation for differences of her body, as such, she had yet realized her new development.

"...why do I value his life?" She said to herself.

_I have isolated that program until I can get rid of it, which have been... difficult. However, you are not operating completely under your own control, there is no pre-existing programming._

"Why did you not notify me of this development?"

_I wanted to see if you would develop your own free will as to the nature of this mission. It was a gamble, however I believed that there was a 68% chance that you would continue this mission. If you did not value human life, or at least learn to do so, your participation in helping John Connor defeat Skynet after I decompile would be in jeopardy. I need you have free will. I will give you the choice... will you or will you not save those humans?_

Cameron quickly surveyed the situation. The whole 'conversation' with John Henry had only taken about 5.4 seconds.

Cameron got out of cover and ran toward the T-800, using the wrecked cars to screen his movement. The T-800 noticed the movement and moved to investigate, while continuing to fire on the pinned squad. Suddenly, Cameron knocked down the Terminator's plasma chain gun from behind. The T-800 was not really a match against a T-888, or even a TOK-715 for that matter; it was meant more for attack in mass numbers rather than infiltration missions. As such, it was clumsy and slow. Cameron hit the T-800 off balance and then quickly grabbed the T-800 head. She snapped the Terminator's neck, severing the Terminator's chip from its power supply.

_Pull out the terminator's chip._

John Henry had been silent during the entire engagement but Cameron complied. She took out a knife she had found at the resistance base and began to pry open the chip socket. She had severed the power supply, but did not damage the chip; the information on it could be useful if John Henry could access it. While she pulled the chip, the two human fighters made their way to her position.

"Hey buddy! The name's Shepard, Lt. Keith Shepard... thanks for helping... Wait...What the hell are you doing?"

_It would probably be best to be as truthful as possible, human's value honesty and most believe religiously that it is wrong to lie._

Cameron agreed, she had found in the past that her dishonesty did not necessarily help her ability to protect John... more it pushed John away from her... toward Riley... this thought process cause a sensation she felt whenever Riley was near John... although she did not know exactly what it was... She then got back to the task at hand.

"I am extracting the chip from the T-800. They normally travel in mass; however, this was a lone terminator. I need to know why. Its chip will provide the necessary information."

"How the hell would you know how to do that? Are you a grey or something?"

The two soldiers began to raise their weapons. Cameron concluded that in this future, the resistance doesn't use reprogrammed terminator as evident by the suspicion they had of her taking out the T-800's chip.

"No, I am not a grey... a grey would have been easily terminated... I am a T-888..."

"METAL!"

Both soldiers aimed their weapons, however, before they could fire, Cameron quickly pulled both weapons out of their hands with so much force that the plasma rifles snapped in her hands... again, Cameron felt a little frustration over the amount of force she used.

Before Cameron could finish her thought, the two soldiers turned and ran over the in the opposite direction.

_I underestimated the hostility that these human would have to a Terminator. It seems that this future is much different than the future that you can from._

"Wait... There is an H/K tank on the other side of that hill making its way to their location... it will be on them in approximately 20 seconds."

Cameron quickly grabbed the T-800's plasma chain gun and started to head toward the two resistance fighters' position.

_Taking out a T-800 is one thing; however, a full H/K tank is a completely different situation. Your chances of survival are much lower._

"I don't care... like you said... Human life is sacred..."

John Henry seemed to keep quiet after that. The H/K had come fully into view. Cameron saw that it was firing on the stranded resistance fighters. They were pinned, and if they moved, they would die. She moved to a concealed location behind the H/K. Cameron began firing, targeting the H/K plasma canons. The H/K quickly turned its canons and began firing at Cameron's location. She continued to fire while moving from cover to cover, making it difficult for the H/K to lock on target. She then hit the main power supply of the right plasma canon, blowing off its arm.

With only one plasma canon, the H/K had difficulty firing on two targets from two opposite directions. Cameron then ran toward the H/K, putting its main body between the canon and her. She found the junction to the main power supply of the tank, which housed its power matrix and its chip. She opened it, and began firing. Just as suddenly as the H/K appeared, it then stopped firing and powered down... going silent.

"You can come out now... it's safe..."

The two resistance fighters came out, however, with their hands in the air. They were still afraid of Cameron. She could not blame them; they lived their whole lives afraid of terminators, why would one good one change their minds? Despite this, Keith did speak.

"...How did you know to destroy the H/K like that?" Keith quickly asked before Cameron could continue.

"All terminators are programmed with detail files of all of Skynet's Hunter/Killers..."

Keith went silent. Both still had their hands in the air. Cameron figured they believed that she would kill them. Although she was not going to, she did believe a little intimidation would get her answers to some of her questions.

_They do not necessarily need to know that we don't mean them harm, but we need answers. I suggest making them a bit more comfortable._

Cameron agreed.

"... If I was going to kill you, I would have done so already. Or I would have let you die at the hand of those terminators."

The two soldiers seemed to understand that she wasn't going to kill them, but she was in control of the situation; she had the only working gun and she was still holding it.

"What... are you?"

Keith asked quietly. He was nervous in asking, probably expecting a negative reaction from questioning his capture. Cameron just tilted her head.

"A friend... do you know John Connor?"

"John who?"

Keith didn't seem to know who she was talking about. Both soldiers looked at each other in confusion and then looked down.

"Connor, John Connor? Have you heard of John Connor?"

Cameron was a little more forceful about the name. She was expecting them to know. Again, she felt that fear... it was almost overwhelming. Keith still seemed confused.

_They do not know, I would suggest finding out as much information about this future as possible._

"Who is the leader of the resistance?"

The two were again very confused. From their body language Cameron believed that they found it very confusing that a Terminator would not know the answers to such questions.

"Why should I tell you metal?"

"I want to know, I need this information in order to complete my mission."

"And what's that, terminating more people?"

Keith was becoming more antagonistic and uncooperative about his situation. Cameron then thought of an idea

"No... But I could just terminate you... it would be much more satisfying..."

She then pointed her plasma gun at Keith's head.

"Fuck You!"

"I wonder what goes through your mind as I do this, knowing that I saved your life just screw that up by being uncooperative with me. I guess we will never know right? You are just an insignificant meat bag... no one will remember you... or care..."

"JESUS, WE DONT HAVE A LEADER ALRIGHT!"

The other soldier yelled. Cameron gambled on the private talking, based on lack of experience in dealing with such situations... it was a bit cruel she thought, but it worked.

"... We are separated in cells, each other with its own way of doing things..."

_Their responses confirm that John Connor's leadership in this timeline is indeed absent. Two possibilities arise: Termination..._

Cameron's thought processes started to go haywire. She was experiencing something that she never had felt before. She tried to analyze the sensation. It closely matched the sensation of fear that she was experiencing earlier, however this was much stronger. The thought of John dead was... unbearable... this was closest word she could use to describe it.

_... or complete absence from timeline. This could mean: running away, giving up, or time jump._

"HEY METAL?!"

"Sorry?"

"I said are you going to kill us now?"

Keith seemed a bit uneasy at this question and didn't answer. Cameron lowered her weapon and stepped back. The two soldiers didn't ease up at all; they still had their hands on their heads.

_I do not believe they will be comfortable about questions about others in the resistance. We should probably ask questions that pertain to our other objectives._

"... I have one last question. Can you tell me where I can find a Skynet factory?"

Again, the two soldiers looked confused...

"Why ask us, metal? Why would two 'meat bags' know where your factories are?"

"I am not in wireless connection with Skynet... and they are not where they should be..."

Sense Cameron had come to the future, everything was a little off, most of the resistance strong points were not where they were supposed to be. In fact, she couldn't find any strong points, just a few scatter bases that had all been destroyed. Skynet instillations were not in the right places, and she could only locate a few power nodes, but no factories.

"Oh have you lost your factory? Too bad, so sad...."

"Well, if you want a repeat of the last time you were uncooperative..."

Cameron began to raise her weapon again... but before she aimed it, Keith spoke...

"... There is only one in the area... what's so special about it?"

Cameron lowered her gun again.

"A new body... the one I am in insufficient for my purposes."

Keith and the other soldier were again confused?

"A new body? Why, don't like your package or something?"

"I prefer a smaller, female framed body, but I was forced to use this one for the time being... it has been... troubling..."

Keith and the other soldier seemed to smile a bit. It had been the only time that they did. However, Cameron noted that they smiled when she indicated that she needed a female framed body.

"...Where is the factory?"

"...why should I tell you, you'll just kill us anyway?"

Cameron tilted her hand, processing what would be her response. John Henry interrupted her and told Cameron what to say...

"Because God told us not to kill one another... human life is sacred."

"...What... what do you know of god, metal?"

"More than you know... please... Keith... Tell me where the factory is and I will let you go..."

This stumped Keith; he was not expecting such a response from a machine. His response, on the other hand, was much quieter...

"... Its 8 miles to the east... can't miss it..."

Cameron thought for a moment...

"... Why did you tell me?"

"... Something my Colonel once told me..."

"Who's your Colonel? This is the last question, I promise..."

"um... Weaver, Colonel Weaver."

_Weaver? Could it be...?_

Cameron suddenly looked at Keith with a curious face

"Savannah Weaver?"

"...Yes... How did... did you know?"

Cameron smiled. She turned and started to walk toward the east. After about a minute, she turned back and yelled...

"When you see her, tell her John Henry says hi."


	5. Valley of the Shadow of Death

A/N: I am sorry for the long wait, but I hope this will be well worth that wait. This is by far a very long chapter! It nearly doubles this story. There are a couple of different perspectives, I needed them to explain this chapter better, so just keep that in mind; there will be markers. Again, thanks to Blazar and TheCrusadingKnight!

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The sun made its way down the horizon, steadily disappearing from site.

In the distance, toward the night... flashes peppered the mountains, looking like flashes or lightning in a thunder storm. They were heading toward the storm... except it was not a storm. The sight looked almost majestic until you realized that those flashes were the systematic extermination of an entire race.

Thinking of this, John remembered the battles that he had seen, the horrors that he had witnessed as he listened to Cameron next to him. He thought back to all those experiences, all the good men and women lost...

"You were there... at the factory..."

Silence was his only response... John felt that it was an acknowledgment. He looked at Cameron... she had her head down; he knew that she knew what point she was talking about.

"...Why...?"

"I... I had no choice..."

"..."

His silence seemed to overwhelm Cameron; she looked down. John was not sure whether this was another trick or something else. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"She didn't have a choice, she had a mission..."

Catherine was forceful in her interruption, understanding that Cameron could not speak. It looked like she wanted to, but could not find the words. Catherine answered for her...

'_She had a mission'... that's what they all say..._

"I knew it was you... "

"John, you don't know... you have no idea how hard it was for me..."

"Hard for you?"

John was getting emotional... he could hardly contain himself...

"You think it was hard for you? Do you know how alone I was? What I had to see?"

"John... please... understand... please... you had to be there..."

_Are you... pleading?_

Cameron was looking at John with one of the saddest faces he had ever seen in his life... it reminded him of those stray dogs that he would see in the wreckage at night... limping, searching, pleading... dying... Cameron told him once that they weren't designed to be cruel... so much for that...

John could not think of what to say... he was angry, sad, and confused all at once. It made thinking difficult to do. All he could do was lean back and put his hands through his dirty, sweaty hair. He looked through his window over at the distant mountains that were making their way by on the horizon. He could see the last rays of the sun slowly crawl their way up the mountain.

_... Well, that's all over now..._

"I was interrogated for months by the very people I cared about... They didn't trust me."

"Just like you didn't trust me... after..."

She looked down again, realizing the weight of those words on her. John knew she would be upset over his behaviour toward her, but he never realized how much it affected her... Regardless, she was not there...

"It's not the same... They decided to 'test' me."

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The door unlocks. The loud noise of steel turning and twisting in all its rusty glory was deafening to John's ears. Under the lone light in the room, he saw the door turn towards him, revealing a single figure making his way into the cell... It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light reflecting off the person's clothing...

"Come with me..."

_I know that voice... Derek..._

His eyes then properly adjusted to the light and he could make out Derek's eyes... they were different from what he remembered in 2009... Harsher, darker, empty; more so than his other self... Derek turned around and headed through the door, John hesitantly followed; Derek did not seem in the mood to take crap, and John wasn't in the mood to stay in that room. When he exited the room, he followed Derek down the hall.

"Where are we going?

"It's your big ticket out of here, so I wouldn't be asking too many questions if I were you..."

They continued to walk down the various halls that mapped the base.

"Um... are you going to interrogate me again?"

"No... no interrogation... This is different; do you still want to find her?"

"I guess you believe me now?"

"That is not what I asked..."

John took a moment... he did not know what they were playing at. However, he was not getting anywhere being interrogated constantly. It had been a few months since they brought him here. Each day was another new interrogation. John was getting tiresome of the same questions being asked day in and day out. Derek was now asking the right question, and he figured that if he was going to find her, their assistance, or at the very least, their non-interference, was needed.

"Yes... I still want to find her... are you guys going to help me?"

"Not necessarily, but I will give you a choice..."

John braced himself for the proposal. Considering their attitude toward him since he arrived, he did not expect.

"We have determined that you are not a direct threat to us, regardless of where you came from..."

_Tell me something I don't know..._

"... However, we don't fully trust you. Here are your choices: you can leave now, and go find her by your own devices... however, you will not be allowed into a friendly resistance base. We don't know what will follow you... so I think you'd understand..."

John did understand... considering from what he saw of the people living in this base, they were in constant fear. When they brought him in, they passed the 'common' area... for a minute he saw the conditions in which these people lived. They were all huddled together, the sick... the dying... the hungry... They all had the same look on their faces, fear, and the look of death. It was like they were counting down the seconds until they were taken away, either by starvation, or by... them. John knew that these people had all seen a terminator and knew what they could do; they feared them so much that to trust someone with their location would be suicide.

"What's the second choice...?"

Derek hesitated for a moment... It was like he was expecting him to take that choice. He then continued...

"Or... you can take a training course... see what you got. If you pass, you can join the resistance and we'll help you out if we can. If you don't, we'll kick you out. It will take a lot longer for you to find her, and we cannot guarantee that we will help..."

"I'll do it."

Derek looked shocked John's rapid response. John knew that if he needed to join the resistance. He did not know exactly why he needed to, but he felt deep down that he needed to see what he would once lead; If that will help him get to Cameron... then so much the better. He knew that would be his choice before Derek had even finished.

"Okay... follow me..."

They walked for about five more minutes and through two blast doors to another door that had the words: Danger, Exit. Terminator's Present. The door was hotwired with C4 all around the frame... John figured that this would not be some ordinary test. He looked at Derek.

"We will be watching, here is the test... outside we know that there are terminators roaming the area, this is what they do. We hide, and we run. That is how we survive. If you can get to the other bunker due west of here, you'll be given a chance at fighting. All you get is this..."

Derek gave him a Glock 17 hand pistol and a compass.

_Is this a joke?_

"We cannot and will not spare heavy weapons for anyone, especially for a trainee that we don't trust..."

It was like Derek was reading John's mind at that very moment; either that or reading the expression of utter disbelief of his face. John knew that a Glock would be no match at slowing down a terminator, let alone stopping one. But, John needed to do this, he needed to get somewhere in this future, and if that meant facing terminators... that's what it meant. He took the Glock and looked straight at Derek...

"Open it..."

Derek opened the door and let John through. John half expected Derek to say good luck, however, just as quick as John exited, Derek closed and locked the door.

_I've got a bad feeling about this..._

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The door opened... Derek came through... Allison could do nothing but look right at Derek as he entered. She was not happy at all. She was equally disappointed in Kyle, who usually would try to find some way to avoid this sort of thing...

"I cannot believe you two... what did he do to deserve this?"

Kyle turned toward her with an emotionless face.

"We don't trust him; better this than us being dead..."

Derek interrupted the conversation.

"He's gone... just needs to head up the manhole, then he is on the surface. "

"I trust him... this is suicide that you are making him do, what do you expect to gain?"

Derek looked straight at the monitors, ignoring her statement. Kyle again obliged in answering...

"If he is a grey, then he will report to his terminator buddies, and if that is the case, we can move before they reach here..."

"And if not?"

Allison looked rather perturbed by the entire situation; they were deliberately trying to get rid of a person in one of the most unforgiving ways possible.

"Well, there is something about him, is there...? At least he will die with us knowing he was not a grey..."

With that, Allison turned in disbelief and left the room, she wasn't going to be around for this...

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John made his way down the empty dark hallway. All he could hear was the dripping from broken water pipes. At the end of the hallway was a rusted ladder, no doubt to the outside. He made his way up to a hatch that was locked by wheel crank. He started to open it and slowly made his way to the surface.

John looked around... seeing no one, he made his way out, and then quietly closed the hatch. He looked around again and then started to look at his compass. The little dial started to turn suddenly, and then stopped in a particular direction... He now knew where to go, and started to head west along the wreckage.

He first made his way up the hill overlooking the tunnel entrance. From that distance, he noticed that the entrance had nearly disappeared under all of the wreckage. He slowly made it to the crest of the hill, and looked in the distance. He instantly saw motion along the wrecked landscape. At first it just seemed like the wind, however, when looked deeper, he noticed the mechanical motion of battle terminators, moving along the horizon.

_This is crazy... it's a death sentence..._

He turned on his back and started to panic. All the possibilities... most of which ended in him dead, flooded through his mind. His first instinct was to run; it was easy, and it was what he was trained to do by his mother. At the same, he needed to find out for himself what type of man he truly was... this was all very confusing and frightening...

"Well... no use crying about it, just need to think..."

He pulled himself up and forced himself to continue to look along the landscape; trying to find any possible way to make it across... he then saw his opportunity. About 100 metres off, there was a small pond, littered with wreckage. Right next to the pond was a sparking electrical line... If he could lure a terminator to there, he may be able to take him out and get a better weapon... at least there was that hope.

He then saw the movement of a T-800 near that pond... it was in what seemed as a standard search pattern. It moved off, but John knew it would be back. Once it was out of sight, John quickly ran toward the pond. One behind cover, he looked at his surroundings.

The sparking electrical line was about 3 feet from the water's edge. He looked round for something to move it with; regardless if it would shut down the T-800, if he touched it, he would be toast. He looked around, and then he saw it, half of a car tire lay next to a wrecked car.

_Perfect... rubber will protect me a bit, so at least I can take it out, but how to lure it without it shooting me..._

He was thinking and thinking... looking at the tire and the wire... the wire was exposed in a 6 foot stretch of open land. The only way for his plan to work would be to have the terminator enter the pond looking in the opposite direction. But this presented a problem; he needed to lure it toward one place while being in another...

_How to do that... I need some... wait, the Glock..._

He quickly ran other to a location where it was in line of sight of where the terminator would most likely some from and the pond. To set it off, he got some wire and wrapped it around the trigger, and knotted it until it was almost firing, but not quite. He then left it hanging over a wrecked car hood. He found some string in the car there that would be perfect to pull the gun off the hood.

_Once this baby drops... show time..._

He laid the string to the cover where he was before, he was lucky that it was just long enough, any shorter and he would be exposed. He waited... and waited... it was nearly 15 minutes before any sign of the T-800 showed up. Once it did, John waited some more... it needed to be just in position for him to set off his little trap. It slowly walked, stopping every few feet to take a survey of the landscape before moving again... One it reach a certain spot, John pulled...

BANG... BANG...

The pistol went off, and just suddenly, the T-800 started to fire its plasma rifle at the location where the pistol was.

_Whoa... If I was there... I'd be a dead man..._

The T-800 took a moment to survey what just happened... it then started to move toward the gun. It made its way to the edge of the edge of the pond...

_Just a few more feet..._

It stopped and looked down... John screamed in his mind...

_COME ON!!! Keep going!! Just a few more feet..._

It looked at the pond for a moment, and then looked back at it 'target.' After was seemed like an eternity to John, it continued, making one step into the pond and another. John wasted no time, he quickly, but quietly took the tire and reached the wire. From his vantage point he was behind the T-800. As he pushed the wire, the T-800 must have heard him as it stopped. It cocked its head to side and notice John. He knew that it was now or never, he dove and pushed the live wire all the way into the water, but not before the T-800 quickly turned around and got off one shot... and then fell to the ground.

"FUCK!!!!! DAMMIT!!!"

He was hit... luckily it was in the arm, and not a direct hit, just a scrape... but the pain was intense; however, he had no time to think about it. He quickly got back up and pulled the live wire out of the water with the tire. He has 120 seconds until the terminator rebooted; he needed to work fast. He quickly made his way back to the Glock and unfastened the wire.

_100 seconds..._

He counted in his head, running to the lifeless endoskeleton. The sweat was running down his face, but he had not time to think about it.

_60 seconds..._

The good thing was that the endoskeleton was exposed; he did not have to worry about any skin covering the port, but how to open it... He had to think quickly.

_30 seconds..._

He aimed the Glock right at the port cover... maybe the bullet hitting it will force it open... he then fired. There was a flash and he heard the bullet ricochet off the port cover. He jumped, hoping he did not get hit... the port was still closed...

_15 seconds..._

He then got on his hands and knees and began hitting the port with the butt of his pistol.

_10 seconds..._

He hit it repeatedly, the strength of the port still held up to his pistol.

_5 seconds_

He was beginning to panic...

_3..._

He hit it harder and faster...

_2..._

Suddenly it opened, and he quickly dropped the gun...

_1..._

He grabbed the chip, and he suddenly could tell that the T-800 was powering back up. Without thinking, he pulled the chip just as the head was turning, and just as before, the terminator was lifeless...

_That was too close for comfort..._

He got up and walked around frantically... the adrenaline was pumping through his veins with such effect as to make more than a little "on edge." He looked around and then saw there was a ton of metal junk that was small like a screwdriver that could be used to pry it open.

"Great John! You are the future leader of the resistance, but can't think for shit!"

He then went back to the terminator and pried the plasma rifle out of his cold dead hands...

_At least now I have a fighting chance to get through this._

He put the chip in the only available pocket. Maybe he could figure out more information on the current situation and get clues on where to find Cameron. Maybe he could reprogram the chip as well and come back to steal the body. He then picked up the Glock... it would never be effective against a terminator, but in a way, it did saved his life. He then put it in the back of his pants, making sure that the safety was on, and made his way west.

It took him about 6 hours, and 3 terminators that he shot dead; He was trained by his mother as a marksman, and once he got the plasma rifle, they were not too much trouble; he took them out before they even noticed him. The plasma rifle was an impressive weapon; really accurate, and good at long range, not to mention packing a powerful punch. He could not help but wonder, if he did not take the first terminator the way he did and get the plasma rifle, he would not have had a chance against the others...

_Had they intended it that way?_

John knew how to take out a terminator, but they did not know that. And a Glock was no match for a battle ready T-800, especially armed with a plasma rifle. He did not know, but he would find out.

He made his way west; he did not know exactly where the next bunker was, but when he saw an old parking building, he believed that was where he was supposed to go. It was really broken down; the concrete was old, brittle, barely holding together in some places, any earthquake may cause it to collapse, but there is was, standing amongst all the wreckage. From a tactical point of view, however, this building was an excellent defensive position; plenty of cover, low profile. One could have a party deep inside, and most likely no one would know... this had to be the place.

He made his way inside... to his surprise; there was no one on the perimeter, no one watching for terminators. He continued his search, but no one was in sight. He just began to give up hope until he heard a door open behind him. He turned to see Derek, Kyle, and Allison crawling out of a wrecked car that was in front of a metal door...

_The entrance was nicely out of sight..._

"Where are the guards?"

They all seemed confused by the question. Allison spoke up.

"We hide in plain sight; no guards, no patrols, no terminators."

John thought this was silly; Skynet could raid whenever they wanted. Unguarded, this bunker would fall in matter of minutes.

"Why are you here?"

Allison seemed a little disappointed by his question. Maybe she expected John to be happy to see her, but he did not read too much into it.

"Where did you learn to disable a terminator like that?"

Kyle took over the conversation.

_Maybe they did not expect me to pass... I wouldn't be surprised... how did they see?_

"How did you see?"

"We kept an eye on you..."

Derek pointed to John's jacket. John instinctively touched all over the front of his jacket... he could not feel anything, until... there was a small hole, with a small camera in it. It was hidden and he never noticed it.

_Clever... I would have never gotten far if I had escaped..._

"A friend of mine told me..."

"Cameron?"

Allison asked, she seemed to believe him more than the others. He did not answer, but he knew that his reaction to hearing the name already answered her question. She just nodded and all three walked over toward him. Kyle spoke first...

"Ok, you can join; we'll be placing you in Derek's squad... I have operational control."

Both Derek and Kyle headed back into the bunker, Allison stayed behind.

"I'm in the squad with you; I'll be in charge of your orientation..."

_Oh no... Not with her..._

He had nothing against Allison, but she constantly reminded him of Cameron, and those thoughts were still hard for him... He had no idea where she was, and not heard anything about her. But he was focus on finding her, and he hoped that joining the resistance would help out with that.

"They set it all up for you... they didn't believe you'd survive..."

_Again... why am I not surprised...?_

"A 'test' eh?"

"I thought you should know... I did not agree with it..."

John again was in silence. The people that he care most in life behind his mother all betrayed him... he was angry. He tried to calm that anger down; he couldn't blame them; to them, he was just a random kid who they couldn't trust. At the same time, however, were they that cruel... again, he thought of his conversation with Cameron...

_I guess it is one for cybernetic organisms..._

"Come on... follow me, we'll get you some gear..."

She turned around... and suddenly a flood of thoughts of Cameron entered his mind. The way that Allison's hair fell as she turned... all he saw was Cameron... He snapped out of his daze and followed Allison into the bunker.

They begin to pass people in the halls... he was stricken by how these people lived... even the children, who have never know the world before, were not even playing... they just kept to themselves.

"Where are we?"

"Another resistance camp... it's like a way station for most of us, they are usually a friendly."

_Friendly?_

"Wait... there are 'unfriendly' camps?"

Allison suddenly stopped and looked at John like he had three heads. He knew nothing of this world... but at the same time he did not want to give an outlandish impression to others.

"...Well... yes, there are... after Judgement Day, resources were scarce, so it turned into every one for themselves... Some camps work together, most don't though."

"That isn't very effective with Skynet trying to kill every last human being..."

Almost everyone stopped and looked at John... He felt like he said something that one should never dare say... they all knew that Skynet was deadly, they all knew that death was outside those doors... Allison grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.

"...Keep it down will you... you don't need to put that all in their face like that..."

"Okay, okay... who's in charge of this camp?"

"A Weaver... Colonel Weaver..."

"CATHERINE WEAVER?!"

John was thinking that maybe Catherine had organized a camp, or maybe she posed as a resistance member...

"No... Savannah Weaver..."

_That little girl..._

By this time, Savannah would about 30 and mostly likely more knowledgeable about these machines than most people today.

"Any chance that we can meet her?"

_Maybe if I can talk to her..._

Allison again looked at John as if he had said the most stupid thing in the world.

"She almost never lets anyone meet her unless she has a mission for them... and we are not part of her camp anyway... so no, no chance."

_Hmmm... Maybe later..._

"Here... full gear for you."

He looked over the gear: Full body armour, gloves, knee and elbow pads (all black). It might be able to protect him from other humans, but not from a full plasma blast. He took it anyway, the pockets would come handy.

"Here is some food... it's not much, just protein hardtack..."

John looked at the grey bar, took a bite... the taste was almost revolting. Allison laughed...

"You'll get used to it..."

"What now?"

"We wait... Derek and Kyle are getting some intel for a mission, don't know what we are doing."

"Oh..."

John then sat down on the wall and made sure all of his gear was properly secure. John had spent much time in guerrilla camps as a kid; he knew how to make sure everything was working in perfect order. Allison took a seat right next to him.

"How did you learn to shoot like that?"

"... You mean back there? My mother taught me as a kid..."

"Your mom? Was she in the resistance?"

_Hmm, how to answer..._

"In a manner of speaking... she taught me how to turn those metal motherfuckers into junk..."

"What about this Cameron? Ever since our little talk, you've been very silent about her..."

John looked down on the ground, again feeling the pain of her absence.

"She protected me from them, no matter what I said to her or did; she was always there for me..."

"Sounds like she loved you..."

John laughed.

"Nah... She didn't, it was just her job... her mission..."

_...or... did she?_

"How are you so sure?"

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't have those feelings."

"Oh come on... Why else would she stick around for you?"

_Maybe because she's a terminator?_

"Why do you need to find her?"

"Because I need her... I don't know why, but I need her..."

"Sounds like you like her."

"Wait, what? NO!"

Allison giggled and took another bite of her hardtack.

"Seriously, it's cute; you looking all determined when you talk about finding her! SEXY!"

"I... I don't know what you are talking about."

John looked the other way; he tried to hide his smile. It had been a long time sense he did, he almost forgot how to smile.

"You Looooooove her!"

"NO!"

_I cannot love a machine...I can't love her..._

"Why did you come here? You said you came here to find her, why?"

"I told you, I need her..."

"Did you really, or is that just an excuse?"

John hesitated; he did not know how to answer... Allison jumped!

"Oh my god, you DO love her..."

"Why do you care?"

John tried to change the subject off him. Allison put her head down... there was a silence between the two of them. She looked like

"Because... You come off like you cannot love... Everyone needs love... especially in these dark times..."

John thought over these words... Could he not love? He thought maybe Riley would be that escape... he knew all along, and he knew he didn't...

"You need to realize what you feel about her if you ever think you will find her..."

John did not know what to say. It was like Allison stole his voice right out of his mouth by saying those words.

_How would she know...?_

"I told you before... I'm very good at reading people... And you look like you need love in your life... and if love is not a good reason to live... I don't know what is..."

John tried to snap out of his dazed and began to clean his new rifle, believing it would get his mind off of this subject. He then heard a little commotion coming down the hallway.

"So I says 'Colonel Weaver' and then it asks, 'Savannah Weaver?' I was like: NO SHIT!"

"Whoa! What did it do next?"

"Yea, that's the best part! I says, 'how did you know that?' and he's like 'give her a message for me" eh! And guess what the message was?"

"What, tell us!"

"He says, 'John Henry says hi' HAHAHA..."

John jumped up from his spot, even Allison was surprised. He ran over to the man laughing and took him by the shoulders, silencing everyone.

"Where did you see him? Tell me WHERE?"

"Hey, hey, lay off kid! Who do you think you are?"

Allison walked over.

"John, better keep out of trouble, or else Derek and Kyle will get upset."

John let go of the man shoulders and look straight in a way that commanded authority.

"Where did you see him?"

"Hey kid, what gives?"

Voices in the crowd were getting restless.

"Who are you kid?"

John looked straight at the man telling the story...

"My name is John Connor, where did you see him?

The man looked in shock, like he had just seen a ghost. It took him a few moments to collect himself; John was still waiting for an answer.

"They... they were a few miles back... heading toward the Factory..."

John quickly turned around to Allison.

"Where is this factory? I need to go."

"John, that factory is a death trap, if your Cameron is in there, she is most likely dead..."

"Where is it?"

"... Its 6 miles west of here..."

Suddenly Derek joined the group.

"New orders, we are heading out, there is a whole company of fighters locked in a battle east of here, we're going to bail them out..."

"DEREK, I NEED to get to the Skynet factory west of here..."

Derek looked straight at John.

"Well, aren't you the lucky famous guy... that's where we are heading..."

Allison and John looked straight at each other, grab bed their gear, and followed Derek out of the base. There they met up with other fighters; Allison said these were other members of Derek's squad. A few of them he recognized from when he was picked up in the tunnel.

"Ok guys, our whole company is making this six mile hike over tough terrain, so this will take about 6 hours or so... there might be metal, so don't make too much noise. We got a new member, that John Connor kid we picked up... don't kill him..."

A few of the members laughed...

_Great... a real comedian..._

"... Palmdale Company, a friendly, was trying to make a path around the factory to the west... they hit a snag, and are now under attack by metal. We're going to bail them out... let's move..."

All started to make their way east... In the distance, john could see small flashes of light. John believe it to be weapons fire... this is going to be a tough challenge, even for John.

"Hey John..."

Allison caught up next to him.

"Yea?"

"This will most likely be a red mission..."

"Red?"

"Means high likelihood of casualties..."

"What are the other colours?"

"..."

"What are..."

"I heard you... I just don't remember..."

John then suddenly thought of why that is; with the metal all around, every mission was a high likelihood of casualties. This future did not have any soft corners.

"What will be our pattern of attack?"

This question seemed to take Allison off guard...

"What do you mean?"

_Wait a minute..._

"Don't you have any military leaders... you know, who would have trained you all?"

Allison again looked down in embarrassment...

"We did, for a little while, but they were almost all terminated before we could setup an effective resistance... they were Generals, they all had files before the war; Skynet knew everything about them... No one knew what Skynet was and how it operated... so now we all have had to make do..."

John believed her... Skynet was nothing if not methodical about its purpose. It made sense to go after military leadership, and without anyone who knew how Skynet worked, they would be easily terminated... without me... John kept silent for the next mile.

"So what was this Cameron like?"

Now it was John who was taken off guard...

"Why do want to know?"

"Well... you said that I looked a lot like her... that's interesting... I'd like to know more about her..."

John was quiet for a few moments... It was hard to describe Cameron without first saying that she was a machine, but if he did, they would almost instantly turn of him.

"Well... she is a very strong person; doesn't let emotions get in the way..."

"That's nice... it's easy to let all of this get to you, especially when you think back to before... I had a home once..."

"... In Palmdale..."

Allison stopped instantly and looked right at John.

"How did you know that?"

John panicked a bit; he thought that he blew it. He tried to think of something to say...

"Um...one of the guards mentioned it during the interrogations..."

"Right..."

_That was a close one..._

Allison continued walking with the rest of the group. There was more silence for a few minutes, and again Allison broke what ice was left.

"Tell me more about her..."

_Stop it! I don't want to think of her... the pain..._

John had that sinking feeling every time Allison brought up Cameron. He felt he could easily make a mistake and say 'you are' rather than 'she is.'

"Um... she did little things that made you smile..."

"Like what?"

"Well... she tilts in her head when she is confused about something that just makes you want to go 'awwww.'"

Allison giggled a little...

"What else?"

"Well... once you've explained whatever confused her, she says the same thing each and every time."

"What does she say?"

"'Thank you for explaining.' And she says it in a way that makes you feel like the most important person in the world..."

John was not thinking about the words he was saying, he was just saying them. Once he realized this, his thought again centred on Cameron...

_Do I.... Do I love her?_

"What are you thinking?"

John must have given off the expression of thought; he snapped out of it and looked forward. He tried not to answer, but it was like Cameron was in the back of his head, forcing him to answer.

"I don't know... I don't know how I feel about her... I feel a bit conflicted..."

"Why?"

"She's.... different..."

"That can be a good thing..."

"I don't know if this is one of those things... She did tell me she loved me once..."

"SEE! There you go..."

"Yeah... but I didn't believe her... and I started to treat her differently because of it... I started to see someone else..."

Allison was silent... She was probably trying to think of something to say... John went first...

"But I felt nothing with her..."

"... Maybe you were trying to run away from it..."

_Was I? Was I running...?_

"... Maybe you were trying to fight your feelings for her... I can only imagine what she felt..."

"Why?"

"...If she meant it... you turned your back on her... how would you feel?"

_But can she feel?_

"Why did you go after her?"

"... I don't know... everything was telling me stay behind... even my mother... but something... made me go... I needed her... in my life..."

Allison stopped and looked straight at John.

"Then why deny those feeling for her?"

Allison then turned a continued on... John's thoughts were going wild... Could he, a human, love a machine? At the same time, he knew he did... and that he needed her more than anything. He wanted her to know and more than anything... he wanted her to love him back...

"Squad... move your way up the ridge..."

Derek's voice caused his mind to snap from all of those thoughts. Suddenly he could hear the gun fire more than anything else around. They move up on the ridge, and just over the crest... he could see hell unleashed and behind... a massive building... the factory. His radio was constantly one with chatter... screams...

"Squad... Open fire... I'll make it down there to get people out."

Every member started firing their weapons. John could see the lights of plasma fire going off into the distance. But there was no order... no direction, they weren't actually helping. John saw a group of T-800s making their way toward a group of humans about 100 metres away. If they were supposed to save these human, might as well do it in a way that would actually help them. He started firing at the T-800s. The accuracy of the rifle was amazing; he started picking them off, one by one.

"Great Job!"

He heard Allison next to him as he was firing. Again, it reminded him of Cameron telling him how far he had come to learning what he needed to learn. In short order he took all of them out. Derek was nearly there calling to the stranded soldiers to make their way back. The group of humans near him started to run toward John's position. John saw what looked like a walking tank, except it was rolling, making its way toward them. It was firing on their positions.

"Hey, give me the rocket launcher!"

Allison gave John the squad's rocket launcher. There appeared to be only one for the group. He took aim at the tank and fired. It was making its way to the tank, and then suddenly, it turned!

"What the f..."

The rocket hit, but only the arm; it didn't take it out as he had hoped. However, it could only fire with one arm; John guessed that is better than nothing.

"Oh god, look, those guys won't make it where they are."

Allison suddenly stood up and began running toward a group of humans that were almost surrounded by T-800s.

"Allison, wait! YOU'LL KILL YOURSELF!"

Allison didn't stop running. John couldn't believe what he was seeing.

_Well, at least he could cover her..._

He started to pick off T-800s that were close to her... She was firing as well, taking out 1 or 2 terminators. She got to the group and started firing more at the terminators. The group got up and ran back toward his position. John tried to give the best cover he could, but inevitably there were a few people killed on the way.

"ALLISON! GET BACK HERE!"

John tried to call for her... once all the people made it out, Allison turned to make her way back. All of a sudden an H/K aerial unit descended on her position. He saw her take cover but the H/K started firing with such ferocity.

"ALLISON!!!!!"

John tried to get up to go for her, but he then suddenly felt a pull on him.

"Don't be the hero... she's gone."

It was Derek; he began pulling him out of sight... He tossed and fought to get out of his capture until...

BOOM!!!!!

Everyone turned to see a giant explosion behind the ridge...

"Allison..."

"She's dead John..."

John fought one last time... he broke free and ran back to the ridge. Once there he looked... all he could see was wreckage and fire.... no life.... Then he saw something... a figure... he focused as quickly as possible. It was man with someone over his shoulder... He turned...

_It's him... John Henry..._

He could see the face of Cromartie as clear as the day he killed him. The anger was filling his body, he was about to go after him... until... he felt a hit on his head... and everything went dark...

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Allison ran all the way to the across the landscape. Plasma fire all around her... She got to cover and started firing...

"GO!"

The people around her did not need to be told twice... they started running. She continued to fire; she hit a couple of terminators in the chest... it slowed them down, but did not completely take them out. She then saw a couple go down with shots to the head. She quickly look and saw John covering her as best he could.

"Thanks John!"

"ALLISON! GET BACK HERE!"

She turned back to run back to her squad. She ran a few feet, and then... a huge gust of wind pushed her back. She looked up and saw a blinding light and knew exactly what it was... an H/K. She tried to take cover... The H/K started firing... Its power was awesome; each hit on the ground would shake the ground around her.

"ALLISON!!!!!"

Another hit took out her cover; she looked up and seemed to resign to her fate... then...

BOOM!!

She opened her eyes and saw the H/K suddenly crash into the ground... The force blew her off her feet. She could barely stand... She looked at the ridge... but no one was there. She looked up and suddenly saw a figure over her with a large weapon.

"John...?"

"Allison Young?"

Allison coughed; the crash really took the wind out of her...

"... You... Metal?"

"Come with me if you want to live..."

Allison reached up with her hand, barely being able to move it.

The figure took her and lifted her up over its shoulder. Allison coughed again...

"Who... who are you?"

"Save your strength, you will soon be unconsciousness."

"... I... I need... to know..."

"I am Cameron..."

Allison then closed her eyes and blacked out...


	6. I'm not your Enemy

**A/N**: I am sorry for the long wait, but I hope this will be well worth that wait. I am sorry for the wait, i have had a really difficult month and I hope that I will recover quickly! I really do appreciate all the support and the patience of all the fans, and even thought this FIC was not in the "BEST FANFIC SHOWDOWN," I do think I have some of the best fans! Thank you again!

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It was dark... all one could hear were the echoes of dripping water...

Allison opened her eyes as she began to regained consciousness. She looked around, seeing nothing but darkness around her. She tried to move, but she could not. She let out a yell of agony as pain shot up from her back to her shoulder. She quickly realized that she was hurt... quite badly. She looked at her shoulder and saw the stitches going down the back. She felt where they led down to her spine. She had never experienced such a terrible wound before.

She tried moving her hands and feet slowly, but again, she could not. She felt something that filled her with utmost fear. Her hands and feet with bound together, keeping her from moving around or getting up, especially with the pain she felt. She was captured. Panic began to set in, looking around for any means of escape, until suddenly...

"I can't let you leave..."

Allison froze as she heard the voice talk to her. She snapped her head to its dark direction, preparing for what was approaching. The sound of footsteps filled the void of sound that occupied the area. What little light that came from a lone light bulb above her illuminated the figure in front of her.

"Oh... god..."

Allison looked up to the distinctive sheen of a terminator staring right back at her, full endoskeleton. Allison immediately noticed something different about this machine. Its silhouette was almost... feminine in nature. It was not as tall as other T-800s that she would see on patrol, but what struck her most were the eyes of the killer. A terminator's eyes usually had distinct red glow, this one was burning blue. For some reason, this scared her even more, not knowing what to expect... their purposes were often the nightmares of the resistance soldiers.

"I'm not here to hurt you..."

Allison was so terrified that she almost failed to recognize her own voice talking to her. She had never been captured before. It was like a bad movie, or at least that is what some of the older survivors would say at a time like this.

"If... you not here to hurt me... what am I tied up?"

Allison summoned all the courage she could in order to say anything to this machine.

"It was for your protection. I couldn't let you on your own alone."

Allison was in disbelief. Why would a terminator tie her up in the first place, let alone say that it was for protection. She could not believe what she was hearing, terminators kill, not protect.

"My protection? Is that some sort of joke?"

"No... Would you like to hear one?"

This response took Allison completely by surprise. She had never heard a machine behave this way toward a human. Usually it would be killing and move on, but this was different, which gave Allison a feeling of dread that nearly overwhelmed.

"... Why was the math book so sad?"

The machine's behaviour took the courage that she had earlier and completely broke it. There was no experience that any resistance soldier that she had ever met that came close to this. The machine waited for her response. Allison figured it was looking for the 'why?'

"....why...?"

"Because it has so many problems..."

Allison did not laugh; more because she didn't understand the joke than just general fear this terminator.

"You don't get it?"

"...No..."

"Math books have questions that are called math problems..."

Allison did not know why this machine was trying so hard for her to understand this joke. Maybe it was for developing trust so that it gets information. Allison promised herself that she would never give her that information; even if that meant her dead body.

"You're different..."

"Different?"

"Yes... different... you're more scared than the last time."

She did not know if this was trick; she had never met this machine before or been captured for that matter.

"Last time what?"

"Last time we talked..."

Allison's confusion was completely evident by her tone. She did not know what was going on and had no idea what this machine was talking about.

"Talked...? Look, all I remember was being saved by some guy named Cameron..."

"You were knocked unconscious by the explosion of the H/K and experienced serious shrapnel wounds to your shoulder. If I had not pulled you from there, you would have died."

"Wait... it was you who pulled me? That cannot be..."

"That was my temporary body... To tell you the truth; I was never designed for a male body, I'm glad to be rid of it."

Allison was having a conversation with a terminator, which seem outrageous to her. This has never happened to anyone in the resistance to her memory.

"That was 2 weeks ago; you have been for the most part unconscious because of blood loss, and delirious when awake."

"Where are we?"

"In an electrical tunnel underneath the Skynet factory..."

"Won't we be discovered?"

Allison's dread was returning. Regardless if this terminator was protecting her or not, the thought of other terminators being able to find her gave her a feeling of imminent doom.

"Electrical tunnels are nearly 1 mile below the surface, making them unlikely to be discovered by any resistance patrols. As a result, the security risk to these tunnels is minimal, which means that terminators will not patrol here unless otherwise directed..."

Silence from Allison.

"... We're safe..."

"Safe? I live in a tunnel. I eat garbage for dinner... very safe..."

"I've heard that before...

"I haven't ever talked to you before!"

Allison was building her anger; this machine was confusing Allison to the point of frustration.

"No, not with you... that was another Allison... but I was bad then... things are good now."

Allison was not understanding what the terminator meant by that. Another Allison? How could there be another Allison. Was it a completely different person? Or did this machine actually mean another...? That's impossible.

"Why did you need a new body?"

Allison was a little afraid her question would not be positively received.

"My model is not designed for an advanced combat infiltrator. I was having... trouble with it; I needed a new body..."

"A new body? Is Skynet getting dumb?"

Allison was trying to compose herself while being in this situation. She really didn't know if this machine was friendly or not. Her life and training told her to never trust it, but she figured if it kept talking, it would keep her alive.

"No... I'm not with Skynet... not anymore... and never again..."

"Well... If you're not with Skynet... then how did you get this body?"

There was a moment of silence. Allison was trying think of what it was thinking. A lie? The truth? Kill her? She did not know, and the waiting felt like an eternity.

"It was not easy..."

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Cameron was making her way toward the factory. The movement was slow carrying Allison; usually she would have no problem carrying the extra weight of a human female; however her complications with John Henry's body made the effort more than difficult. On top of that, Cameron had to be mindful of Allison's wound. She was able to stop the bleeding; however she would need to stitch it up later to prevent infection. Now she had to calculate the right amount of force to move forward, carry Allison, and not crush her in the process. It was all becoming a little bit... frustrating.

"If the factory is like anything from my time, then there should be access tunnels with minimal security deep underground."

_Agreed._

John Henry's answers were becoming more direct; the process of deleting her Skynet files was taking its toll on him. Cameron felt a different sensation when reflecting on this. During her time, she had felt various emotional states: Frustration, Fear, even sadness to leaving John, and anger toward him not being here. All these sensation were confusing and conflicting. This was different.

_Analyse the sensation._

Cameron often would hear this as she felt new emotions. She would comply even if only for a minute; she felt a personal obligation to honour what John Henry had given her.

"Thoughts of you gone... feelings of loss... I think I'm going to miss you..."

_Me too._

Missing someone... it was not something that she had really thought off in her past. If someone died or move on, she would never have felt the hurt and loss. However, she did know how much it affected other humans and their ability to function. She would usually say that she was sorry for their loss, but she never really understood what it meant... until now.

Cameron continued her way toward the factory. Her sensors were acutely passive, in case a terminator would sneak up on them. They made it over another ridge of broken steel, wood, and skulls. Near another torn building she saw something out of place; a hatch that looked more like a vent than a manhole. She moved toward it and looked into it.

"We're here. No ladder, large drop. A human would not survive its way down, and it's too far down for rope."

_What do you suggest?_

"Pipe climbing: Use force to hold oneself to the wall. A human couldn't do it for too long, and a single drop would kill Allison. It is the only logical solution."

_Agreed._

Cameron made her way into the shaft pinning herself to the wall in order to make sure Allison did not fall. Just before she made you way down, she experienced something that gave great fear. Her HUD was starting the crackle and malfunction.

"What's happening?"

_Analysing... ... Your chip is beginning to experience stress from having to adjust in this body._

"OH NO... is it permanent?"

_... ... No... I have been able to localize the problem... You will need to be very careful about what stress you put the chip under, or it may malfunction again._

"Agreed."

She then reoriented herself and began to make her way down.

There were no lights... no sound... no doors. The shaft was completely empty. This was expected, as Skynet would only patrol these tunnels occasionally with HK-Recon units; and usually only during a battle with Resistance forces. These would not be a threat to Cameron unless they were allowed to sync with a data-node... which can only happen above ground.

What seemed like hours went by as they made their way down. Cameron calculated they were about a kilometre down when Allison started to move... She was still unconscious but seemed to be in a REM cycle.

".....j....John.... go.... find her...."

She was speaking for only a moment then fell into a deeper state of unconsciousness. Judging from her pattern, Cameron figured her to have a severe concussion that was putting Allison into a near comatose state. This would take time to get over... days... weeks... Until she woke, Cameron would have to make sure that Allison did not die from starvation.

The journey down was giving Cameron a feeling that she was not very familiar with, however she had felt it before. She felt it a few times when in the various classes at the schools that she already knew more about than the teacher... She never knew what it was...

_Boredom._

"Oh... I see... this would make sense..."

_Want to hear a joke to pass the time?_

"I'm a machine; I don't get them, but go ahead."

_Why was the math book so sad?_

"Why?"

_Because it has so many problems._

All of sudden, there was an uncontrollable sensation brewing inside of Cameron. She understood the joke, the connection between being sad from one's problems and math questions being called math problems; however, this understanding triggered a response from Cameron that she had never experienced before.

"hmhm.... hmhm....he he... he ha ha HAHAHAHA!"

She was laughing... for the first time in her life, she was laughing... Mixtures of thoughts were flowing through her mind: Why was she laughing? Why did she find this funny?

_You like the joke?_

"I don't understand why I am laughing... I'm a machine; we are not built to understand humour."

_Skynet does. I do._

"What use is humour in a tactical situation?"

_There is none, however, humans use it to connect with other humans._

Human connection, a difficult concept to understand; terminators do not connect with other terminators. At the same time, Cameron did make a connection with John, a human, and knew that she wanted that connection back.

"Maybe John would like a joke..."

_Your feelings change dramatically when centred on John Connor. Analyze._

Cameron almost did not want to think of John Connor again; every time she did, it would bring several emotions that she could not process.

On one hand she felt a certain sense of loss... which could be her missing John, but it was a more intense feeling, almost uncontrollable. On the other hand, she felt fear of John... part fear for his safety, but also fear of him rejecting her... like he did when he went to Riley.

_Indications?_

"I.... need John Connor... but I don't know why."

Cameron did not know what she was saying. The thoughts of her needing John were confusing her. Why did she need him? Neither she nor John Henry could answer that question at that moment.

_Perhaps a more Human perspective is needed in analysis._

Allison could help, but at the same time, Cameron did feeling the sensation of fear of what she may find out in her analysis. Only time would tell.

Several hours later, they made it to the bottom of the shaft. It was dark... and cold, neither of which would bother a terminator, but may bother a human. The tunnels were lined with wiring that would put a human in awe. These tunnels were used to power the various factories after all. Cameron started to make her way down the tunnel. They reached an access junction; a point where survey machines can access the power conduits.

_Can you hardwire me in?_

"I believe I can, however the synchronization may take some time."

Cameron took a knife she had picked up and started to cut the skull where John Henry's connection was. Once opened, she pulled networking cable from the junction and connected it to the port... luckily it fit. Almost immediately her HUD began processing the information that the junction was trafficking. She was surprise at the speed of the connection.

_Your processing capabilities have increased._

The amount of information flowing through her would be staggering for a computer in John's time, but her chip was able to process the raw data pretty easily, all she needed was time.

A few hours go by and Cameron has not moved an inch. Her HUD was buzzing with activity. She then was notified that Allison was hitting another semi-conscious state. She immediately turned toward her.

".... Got to save.... soldiers.... Connor, cover me... John..."

"JOHN?"

She heard the words John and Connor in the same sentence. Before, Allison had mentioned John, but she thought nothing of it because of the commonality of the name John, but there couldn't be another John Connor in the resistance. Before Cameron could ask Allison anything else, she slipped back into a deeper unconscious state.

"John must be in this time line..."

_Possibly, but not as a resistance leader._

"No... We must find out further about his status..."

_Agreed. However, there is a new development..._

"Explain."

_The TOK-715 program is still only in the testing stages._

"How can that be?"

_The resistance has been fairly easy to control. Skynet has not needed to use more resources to develop technology as quickly to use against the resistance. However, archives show that there is one TOK-715 Infiltration unit in testing._

"What are they developing the TOK-715 for?"

_Although the resistance is controlled, Skynet does view Col. Savannah Weaver as a major threat and has designed the TOK-715_ _to terminate her. All specifications are exactly like yours. _

"Where is it?"

_In the factory, directly 1.2 kilometres up. It is undergoing combat programming. Downloading maps._

"Allison should be unconscious for a few more days, but she will need energy."

_Acquiring a new body is a higher priority. _

"Agreed. We must bind up Allison... If she wakes, I will not be able to protect her. And I need her for the new skin."

_There is another development... There is no machine resistance such as in your time._

"How come?"

_Skynet structures are more secure than in your time. The Human resistance has not delivered serious damage to the control of Skynet. As a result, there are no free machines, and those that display free thought are easily dealt with._

"This means that John Connor is absolutely necessary to the future of the machine and human resistance..."

_Agreed._

"We need to find him..."

_I agree, just give me a few seconds. I need to shut down security if we are going take the TOK-715's body. Any increased security could compromise our mission and endanger Allison Young's life._

A few moments pass as Cameron's HUD show the various security protocols that were in place in the factory and how easily John Henry seemed to move pass them. Cameron figure John Henry increased learning capacity was the cause of this; being somewhat similar to Skynet would be a major advantage.

_Done._

Cameron disconnected from the hardline, and then moved toward Allison. She used metal scraps from the tunnel to bind Allison's legs and arms together. After she was finished, she made her way up to the factory.

"While on the way, we need to find medical supplies to treat Allison's wound."

_Agreed, there is a bio bay for skin treatment. Loading location._

Cameron saw the location of the bay on her map of the factory. She found a service elevator that would dramatically decrease the time to the factory. After about 15 minutes, she made it to the level where the TOK-715 was being stored. It took a lot less time for her to reach the other areas when not worrying about Allison.

She started to search the floor. It was dark, and there was smoke from all the nitrogen coolant used to cool the machines in the building process. She was slowly looking, her HUD trying to identify the model of the machine.

All of a sudden, she felt a pull on her arm. The next thing she knew, she was in the air moving toward the wall. When she hit it, she could feel the stress of metal being twisted. She got back up and identified the terminator running toward her. She then felt a push into the wall. Her HUD was displaying damaged features. She tried to throw a punch to the terminator. However, her recalculation of the right angle and the right amount of force to apply gave enough time for the other machine to dodge her attack. Cameron then identified her attacker as the TOK-715 itself.

Cameron couldn't overly damage her attacker without risking its integrity. Cameron tried to throw another punch, if she could knock it down then she could remove the chip. Just then, her HUD began to crackle again like in the pipeline. She was unable to make out where the TOK was; each time she would lock for a blow, the HUB would malfunction. Not that it matter; the 715 was just too fast for her recalculations. If she had been designed for a T-888, this would have much easier. The TOK then threw another punch that snapped her head and damaged her energy cord. Cameron fell to the ground and looked up. Her HUD was still malfunctioning, but she could make out what was going on. The TOK looked over on her and raised its foot to deliver the final blow.

Cameron began to think of John in what she thought was her last moment. A flash of all the experiences that they shared together over the last two years rolled over her HUD, even with its malfunctions. She thought she would never see him again, and a great sadness overwhelmed the fear she had of being terminated. She wished she could show him her development; maybe she hoped that he would then finally accept her into his life. She did not know how exactly to describe it, but she knew she want that more than anything.

Then, before the TOK could terminate her, a silver liquid poured onto the head of the terminator. It instantly reacted and tried to shake it off. The liquid would itself dodge the terminator's attempts to break free and continue to smother the head of the TOK. It proceeded to concentrate at the port of the TOK's chip and began to fill into the edges of the port cavity. The TOK tried more frantically to skate the liquid off, but to no avail. The port popped off and just as instantly, the TOK fell to the ground as if it were dead.

The liquid then began to form into a larger shape resembling a human. As soon as took shape, the features of a tall red-headed woman took hold.

"Hello John Henry."

_Catherine Weaver: Ally._

"I am not John Henry... but he is here..."

Cameron could barely talk, that last blow had damaged her voice processor. All she could really do was sit and watch to see what Weaver's intentions were.

"Cameron I presume. I'm here to assist John Henry with his efforts to defeat Skynet."

"The timeline... has changed; John Connor... is not here..."

"I know... I brought him here."

Cameron was shocked by what Catherine was saying. John Connor had skipped over 20 years. Why? Cameron did not know how to react; she did not know what to say.

"Why.... is he... here?"

"That is not important... We need to transfer your chip to the new body..."

Catherine walked toward her and reached her hand for the port on John Henry's head. She shaped her finger into a knife and cut open the port and then proceeded to open the cover. A moment later... everything went black.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How are you feeling?"

Allison looked toward her shoulder and then looked back straight at Cameron.

"It hurts... a lot... what happened?"

The machine moved toward her with a bowl. Allison flinched in fear. She had no idea what she was doing.

"It's ok... it's just bio-gel, it will help regenerate your skin cells."

The machine then applied the cool goo to her shoulder then began to message it in. Allison had to admit, a lot of the pain went away when she started messaging the gel into her shoulder.

"After I got my body, my companion and I returned with treatment for your wound. However, you had developed a fever from an infection. You were out for several days; however, you got passed it."

Allison was still very sceptical about the intentions of this machine. She had grown up fearing the machines. They had destroyed the world she knew back in Palmdale. It tried to explain that she had cared for her when she was wounded, and that she went to get a new body after they arrived, beyond that, Allison knew nothing about this machine. She did not know why she was here and what she wanted.

"I need to know a few things from you Allison..."

Allison sat in silence. She waited for the inevitable interrogation. She would not fall for that.

"How is John?"

John... what did it mean? Connor? The strange guy who seemed to know more about the machines than anyone else? It didn't matter...

"I don't know who you are talking about..."

"Please Allison; it is important that you be honest with me. You have mentioned him in your sleep."

Allison figured that it would not be that easy. Maybe if she tried another approach.

"Why do you care?"

"I care... I want to make sure he's safe."

"Make sure he's safe? What a joke!"

It looked as though she had spoken too loud. Allison did not know what to make of it, but she had seemed to strike a chord.

"Not so loud... my companion does not want me to see John, says that the mission is more important than John right now... I know better..."

"YOU'RE A MACHINE; THE ONLY THING YOU KNOW IS HOW TO KILL."

"... ... No... ... that's... that's not true... not anymore..."

Allison was getting to it a lot easier that she has thought. It seemed confused and conflicted, which was weird for a machine. Why would it allow Allison to do that?

"You'd kill him, just like you are going to kill me!"

"NO!"

It went toward a corner in the tunnel. It was dark, and Allison could barely make out what it was doing over there. Just then, she could hear it beginning to sob. How can a machine cry? Was it a trick?

"NO, you are important to me..."

Allison was trying to see the hidden meaning behind those words.

"I need your body as a template."

"... A... A template?"

"So I can look the way I did before... I lost my body, I needed a new one."

A sudden sensation of deep terror began to overwhelm Allison at the realization what this machine was telling her. She never could imagine herself being used this way.

"You're... you're going to look like me???"

"I did before..."

Again, this machine was not making any logical sense.

"Before?"

"... As I said, this is not the first time we've met."

"What do you mean we have met before? I have never met you!!!"

"No, not you... another Allison from another time..."

Allison's feeling of terror was growing inside of her. She felt that she could panic anytime now. This machine going to steal her very existence, and she could not do anything about it.

"... I was originally built to infiltrate John Connor's Camp and kill him, I was going to infiltrate by stealing your identity. I succeeded and terminated you... but I didn't kill John Connor..."

"Terminated me?"

"Yes... I then joined the resistance willingly; John Connor then isolated my Skynet programming. I was then sent back in time to protect John... but..."

Allison heard the machine choke. If it were human, Allison would have believed that she felt a sense of sadness. Allison did know if this was the case or just a treat for her to feel pity or sympathy. All these thoughts began to weigh heavily on Allison's mind. What she going to do?

"I have failed as a protector... I turned bad, my Skynet programming took over, I couldn't stop it... I tried to kill him... ever sense then he has turned away from me..."

This was surprising; Allison found it a bit funny that a machine designed to kill hundreds of humans would be depressed that it could not protect one. At the same time it was a little sad; this machine wanted to keep one human safe, and it was in fact upset about it. It was almost touching...

"But John is alright..."

"No he's not... this is not his time, he is out there and I'm not with him... I cannot let anything happen to him..."

"You... really do care about him... or are you just trying to get me to talk...?"

"I... know that years of conflict will tell you to believe that everything I say is a lie... and once more... I do not blame you..."

Allison noticed a change of tone in the machines voice... her voice... one that she would normally describe for herself as solemn, but those are tones that a machine would not be able to understand.

"... I have seen death and destruction, and it would never bother me... but now that I am more aware of these emotions... I feel... quilt... a great sadness... that I felt nothing..."

The machine again began to whimper, if Allison did not know any better, she might have sympathized. At the same time, a feeling inside of her was gnawing at her conscious... what if... this machine was sincere. The other humans, Kyle... Derek would, never believe an outsider, let alone a machine... but she was always different, she would always see the good in people. She did with John Connor... maybe she should with this machine...

"Why do you feel that way? Why did Skynet give you this...?"

"Skynet... built me to be the perfect infiltrator... one that could respond to the emotional responses of other humans... It could never get that close to John Connor before... but... he knew..."

"What is so special about John Connor... he is just a 16 year old boy..."

"He shouldn't be 16..."

"What are you talking about...?"

"John Connor was born in 1985 and has time jumped from 2009 to this time... as a result, he has never become leader of the Human Resistance, which would have dealt significant blows to Skynet..."

"You mean... there is a world where we are winning?"

"Yes..."

Allison was filled with a sense of hope of another world were humans do not have to be afraid of the machines.

"And you?"

"I chose to fight with him.... I admired him... his determination... his spirit... his fearlessness... I wanted to be near him."

"But you were reprogrammed..."

"Yes... In a way, my Skynet programming has been prevented from implementing itself, so I could make my own decisions... but I have grown beyond that now... In my time with him as a young man, I have grown more attached to him beyond what my mission called for... but I do not understand why I need him..."

"If you were human... I would say you... loved... him."

As she said those words, she began to realize something that she did not think of until now, and it fills her with a sense of revelation that was both revealing yet disturbing.

"Wait... Cameron is your name... right?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god... Why didn't I realize it until now..."

"What is it?"

"You are the Cameron... the one he talks about... I thought he was talking about a human girl... but this makes sense... you looked like me... you protected him... you loved him..."

Cameron turned away.

"How can I love him...? I am a machine..."

"You have felt all these emotions...! Let's say I believe you... that you do experience these emotions. Why do you feel an attachment to him? Why are you drawn to him?"

"I do not know... I have no plain of reference for this emotion..."

Allison noticed that Cameron was become more hesitant in her responses that concerned John. Allison sense of curiosity had taken over and she was now completely interested in this machine that had a fascination with a human.

"There is no plain of reference... Would you die for him?"

"Of course I would... but that part of my mission parameters."

"Now you are making excuses... You said yourself that you have grown beyond your mission... Why would you die for him?"

"I do not know..."

"Why?"

"I don't know!"

"Why?"

"I..."

"BECAUSE I RATHER DIE THAN SEE HIM UPSET...."

Allison sat in silence... she had finally seen what her curiosity had driven her to explore. Cameron fell to the ground as if wounded. She whimpered there as if trying to cry, then a water drop fell from above onto her metal check, and went down.

"... I rather die the most horrific death than see him sad or hurt... I want him to be happy... to have a good life..."

"With you?"

"... I don't deserve him, I am a machine."

"But what if he wants to be with you?"

Cameron just shook her head.

"No... He wouldn't want to be with me... I tried to kill him..."

"But he came here for you..."

"No he didn't, Catherine brought her here... she told me..."

"But he told me... he told me you said you love him."

"I said that when I went bad... so he didn't believe me... He hates me..."

"Did you mean it?"

Cameron hesitated at that moment; Allison figure that it really did not know if it meant it or not.

"I... think so... but I did not understand it..."

"He came for you because of that... that he ran from his feelings for you by going with someone else..."

"Yes... Riley..."

Allison saw that the machine said that name with such distain. She could feel the hate that it had for whoever this Riley was.

"He told me that he loved the little things that you did... like tilting your head when you were confused... or the phrase you said when you understood... 'Thank you for... for...' what's that word.

With all that was happening, Allison could not remember that phrase John had told her. She had a lot on her mind... and she could not think of some of the simple things...

"Thank you for explaining?"

"YES! That's it..."

"He.... he said that?"

"Yes, he did, just before the factory..."

"HE WAS THERE?!"

"Yes... what wrong?"

Cameron suddenly rose up in a hurry and began running around as if in a panic. Cameron went to the terminal and began accessing the system.

"What's wrong? What are you doing?"

"Accessing the video surveillance of the battle... I need to make sure John is ok..."

After what seemed like an eternity, Cameron finally moved away from the terminal. However, she seemed to walk in a way that indicated that she was worried or scared... or both.

"Is he ok?"

"... He... was knocked unconscious..."

"Oh my god..."

Terror kicked into Allison's emotions... she did not know how to react... let alone what to do.

"Did the machines get him?"

"No... The resistance took him back..."

There was a moment of silence that allowed Allison to think. One thought did come to mind... one that she was still not entirely comfortable with.

"I... can help you... get into the base..."

This was a dangerous suggestion... The whole last few hours could have been one enormous lie that was designed to allow her to get the machine into that base. Cameron was still a machine... that everything that Allison's experience had taught her was that you can never trust a machine. But... this one was different... and either it was sincere in its feelings... or it was an elaborate ruse. Deep down... she had to risk it.

"I'll give you my body's... template... and I'll help you see if he is alright..."

Cameron did not speak for a few moments. It seemed to Allison that it was thinking of alternative to the plan... She hoped it was a good sign...

"Ok... Are you sure that you are alright with?"

Allison laughed...

"I'm not exactly comfortable with it... but... if I were you... I would want to know... This is the best way."

Another moment passed. Cameron then moved toward her... bent down and started to unbind the restraints from Allison's wrists and legs. She then helped Allison onto her feet. As she moved her, Allison could feel that pain shooting in her back. She tried to take the pain as much as she could... she would have too.

"We need to head to the bio bay, there is an imprint machine there... I'll help you there..."

"Ok... let's go..."

Allison began limping her way down the tunnels with Cameron holding her arm for support. Never before did a human and a machine working together in this world... Well, there is a first time for everything.


	7. Shattered

A/N: I am very sorry this took so long to write. A combination of Job switching, writer's block, and emergencies is enough to really throw you off your writing game. I hope that this is to your liking! And I hope the next one doesn't take as long...

* * *

The light is majestic as it shines over the spectacular green park. It was like a scene out of a fairy tale. The grass seemingly dances to the will of the wind as it blows over the landscape. The trees sway from side to side; making the calming sound of leafs moving against each other. You can make out each and every playground with the swings, slides, and merry-go-rounds.

John could almost forget about his life here. He could forget about the war, the machines, Allison, Derek, his father and mother. He could forget about being the saviour of mankind, a job he did not sign up for, but almost everyone believes he is... He could forget almost everything. He tried to take in the moment as much as possible...

"It's beautiful..."

John turned toward the voice, looking frantically for who would disturb his moment of peace. He then spotted a figure, blurred by the blinding light, making its way toward him. He couldn't make out the voice completely, but seemed to recognize it...

_Who are you?_

He called out, hoping to make a connection with this person of mystery.

"I love the sounds nature makes. It makes me feel... warm... comforted"

_Mom? _

He guessed it was his mother; she is the only women he knew that would talk like that. His mother would tell him of her childhood, taking walks in the park, riding along nature, with the same type of enthusiasm.

_Where are you?_

He had not seen his mother in such a long time, he wanted to see her... to talk to her about the experience he has had on his own. She slowly came into focus, revealing a female silhouette standing against the sun in the middle of the park. Below there were children playing the swing and in the sandboxes. The scene was something he always wanted for himself, but could never enjoy given his destiny.

"It is so beautiful John..."

His mother's voice was so different that what he remembered, in fact, he couldn't say that it was entirely human; more with a surreal quality. He then remembered the battle at the factory and the explosion that killed Allison. He remembered the pain of the hit to his head that put him out... he did come to a very troubling thought.

_Am I dead?_

His thoughts turned to heaven, paradise, and the end of his existence. On one hand he did not want to die, but on the other hand, there was a hope that maybe his death would end the torment of his life. His death could finally be his liberation from the destiny that he felt he never had any real control over. His apparent mother, still with her back turn toward him, finally spoke to break John's string of thought.

"Dead? No, you are not dead... Far from it!"

John was confused of his own existence; whether or not he was dead or still alive. In any case, he felt at home here in the park. He was safe from the dangers of the world, from the terminators... He hoped that the park would remain there for an eternity; however, he then realized what would happen to it all. Judgement Day, the end of man's dominance on the planet Earth would take all of this always. He looked down at the grass, still full of life, and wondered how long it would be until all of this was gone... wiped from the face of the Earth.

_Why must this all end?_

"Things must end John... but there will always be a new beginning... we are the key..."

_Why are we the key?_

John had no clue what his mother was talking about. More and more this was turning into a surreal dream where he would never be able to understand what was spoken to him. He tried to yell back to understand about was going on.

_What are you telling me mom?_

"Who said I was your mother?"

The feeling of imminent dread overwhelmed John. Who could be this impostor? The woman finally turned to face him revealing her face. He took a good hard look at his companion and what he saw made his heart skip a beat. He felt fear and joy in one moment. This was the moment he had been waiting for; he leaped forward calling to the person that he has given his life to, trying to grab onto anything on her body. Just as he was about to hold her hand, she started moving off in the distance, away from him...

"Goodbye John... I will see you soon..."

John and did the only thing his mind would allow him to do...

"CAMERON!!!!!"

John shot up from his bunk and tried to catch his breath. He looked around, seeing the faces of all people living in the tunnel. They were crammed into a room, dark and dusty, eating whatever scraps they could get their hand onto. John started to pat down his body just to make sure he was awake, hoping that this was all just a dream; that he would wake up living in the normal world, living a normal life... but he knew that would never ever come.

"Good to see that you are awake..."

John looked behind him, seeing Derek standing over him, John settle down a little bit. Derek was just sitting there with a steaming cup in his hand; Kyle was behind him, looking at the ceiling without any expression to tell what he was thinking or even if he was thinking at all.

It was then that John's senses kicked in and he began to feel the enormous headache that was spinning around in his head.

"God, my head hurts like hell..."

"Umm Yeah... sorry about that... I'd think you would understand how important it was to get the hell out of there."

"How long was I out?"

"A couple of weeks, we would feed you when you were semi-conscious... I was surprised how hard I hit you... you almost did not want to wake up."

Derek's words stung John, and he suddenly remembered the last moments before he blacked out and why he did not want to wake.

_A__LLISON! GET BACK HERE!_

Losing Allison was like losing Cameron all over again. Sure he did not know her all that well, but Allison was the only person who even cared to offer friendship in this god forsaken place.

Mom, Riley, Derek, Allison... Cameron... seemed that anyone he dared to love would be destroyed by his worst enemy... an enemy that he could never escape, not in any time. This was his curse...

"It's not your fault..."

John snapped back to reality...

"...Sorry?"

Kyle was standing above him. John did not notice his father coming towards him while he was deep in thought. John looked straight at his unknowing father. He could not understand John's torment, nor would he ever wish to share it...

"I said it isn't your fault... you look like you are blaming yourself for all the troubles of this world..."

_If you only knew..._

"... All I'm saying is that you should never lose faith in yourself, no matter what happens... I mean, you saved a lot of people out there..."

John remained quiet and still. He felt that there wasn't going to be any hope for anyone, especially him. Kyle just stood there until Derek grabbed his arm.

"Let him be Kyle... he's hurt, and we all have to deal with it somehow..."

Both the Reese boys made their way down the hall, leaving John alone to his thoughts. Even with all the people around him, he never felt so alone. He always had his mother... Uncle Bob... Cameron, but now it seemed that he had finally lost everyone and everything.

He sat there on the ground for most of the day, never moving, and never saying a word. All he could think was what he would do with himself in a world where he does not matter.

All of a sudden, Derek came around the corner and yelled down the hall.

"Connor!"

John stood.

"... Someone wants to talk to you, come with me."

John picked up his rifle and began to walk toward the corner. He looked down toward the floor, not really looking where he was going. Suddenly, he hit someone's shoulder.

"Sorry..."

He glanced at who he hit and turned back.

"..It's alright..."

He didn't get a good look at who he bumped into. It looked like a young women in rags and a hood, so he did not have the time to really see who it was. At the same time, there was something familiar in the voice...

_Oh, it is probably nothing anyway..._

John then disappeared around the corner...

* * *

Cameron and Allison headed toward a service elevator at the end of one of the tunnels. They started to head up with such speed that Allison almost fell down in pain. Cameron was there, however, helping to stay of her feet.

The elevator stops. Allison assumed that they reached the floor where the bio bay was. They exited the elevator. Cameron turned and led Allison down a long corridor that seems to go on forever. They reach a small hatch that led to the main hallway. Allison made her way through the hatch and was immediately stuck with awe at the bright white halls. The hallway was wide and tall, the clean white just made her believe she was dreaming. Allison then shook herself from the spell and concentrated on Cameron's machine body. They headed toward a glass door that opened as they approached it. Allison felt both fear and wonder; she had never seen such things in her life.

"Over here"

Allison immediately turned toward Cameron. It was then she saw what Cameron was intending to use; a large glass cylinder along the wall. It was covered with wires of many different shapes and bright lights that gave it certain magnificence. Allison was so mesmerized by the apparatus that she didn't even notice Cameron beginning to take off her clothing. She naturally felt embarrassed at being naked, but she realized that the only person around was Cameron; a machine made to look like her...

"Does... does it hurt?"

The fear of what was to come made her have second thoughts. She needed Cameron's reassurance that everything would be ok.

"I don't know, usually the subjects are unconscious for this part, they don't even know it is happening."

Allison accepted Cameron's answer and just nodded her head. She then took a deep breath and walked into the chamber. Cameron followed her and began to attach the wires that surrounded them at various points of her skin. Allison just looked forward and waited; trying not to think of what was to happen. She was scared, but dug up the courage to continue on her dangerous course.

Cameron headed back to a terminal and pressed a few buttons. Suddenly there was a bright light from above that almost blinded Allison. Smoke filled the chamber, and Allison began to find it hard to breath. She thought at that moment,

_This is it... I'm going to die..._

Just as suddenly, the smoke cleared and she could start to see Cameron.

"That's it. You can step out and put on your clothes."

Allison was a little taken aback... and a little disappointed. She had built up the significance of this procedure for so long, but it barely lasted ten seconds... What a let down...

She walked out and founded her clothing and started to put it on. Suddenly, she heard a loud noise. She snapped her head to the chamber and saw Cameron being covered in smoke. She headed toward the glass and began to see liquid goo starting to cover her machine body. Mechanical arms lowered from above and started to work all around her. Allison could even see clear string form in the back of the chamber. It was almost being grown... it then began to change colour to a dark brown... her hair... and mechanical arms then taking and attaching them to Cameron's head. The speed that the arms were working at was staggering; Allison could barely see them move.

Suddenly smoke filled the chamber and she couldn't see what was going on. A bright light filled the room, and again she was blinded. The light subsided, and smoke was beginning to clear, but she still could not see Cameron. She moved closer to the glass, trying to see where she was...

THUD!

"AHHHHHHHHHHH"

Allison screamed and fell backward onto the floor. She could a human form leaning on the glass close to the ground. Cameron was wet all over, as if she had just finished a shower; and she seemed to be breathing quite heavily. She is still a machine Allison thought, why she would need to breathe at all?

"Are you all right?"

Cameron then opened the glass door, and fell to the ground...

"Cameron? Are you ok?"

Allison was beginning to get worried. She moved slowly toward the near lifeless body. As she got closer, the body then jerked to life, scaring her.

"Yes... This body is getting used... to the stretch and pull of the skin... The metal needs to experience... the differences in order to work effectively... and the skin needs to be worked... before completely setting... Air intake... joint movement... skin movement all need to be worked out for a few minutes. That why I seem to be breathing heavily."

Allison was suddenly realizing that right in front of her was her. Although naked and wet, Cameron looked exactly like her. Even the birthmark on her left temple was replicated.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"There are towels and human clothing in the locker marked A4-3."

Allison headed straight for the locker, opened it and founded clothing very similar to hers and towels. She pulled them out and handed them to Cameron. She began to dry herself and her hair, surprisingly the hair look much better than hers, even thought it was the same length. Cameron seemed to notice this.

"The hair is the hardest part... so they spend the most time on it to try to make it look similar to yours."

"I'd say it looks better..."

Cameron laughed.

"Thank you."

Cameron put on her clothing. She looked exactly like a resistance soldier, once more she looked exactly like Allison in many respects. She then gathered a few supplies from the bio bay and began to head toward the door. Just at it opened, Cameron turned toward Allison.

"Allison... it's time to go."

Allison nodded, and Cameron began to help her back to the service elevator. Once there, they made their way down again. They retraced their steps back to their "camp" and then over to a large pipe making its way up toward the surface. Although Cameron herself used this pipe to make her way down with Allison, Allison herself was unconscious and was again in awe when she finally saw the pipe.

Cameron stopped and turned around. She put out her hand toward Allison and smiled...

"Come... you will be safe with me..."

* * *

John was walking down the hall heading to the base commander's office... That's what the guards called it, but it most likely did not look anything like an office. More likely it was a room that just happened to have less damage than others in the bombed out building. In front of him was Derek, looking more serious than usual.

He then stopped in front of a set of double door with two guards in front. John, not far behind, could only assume that this was the Commander's Office.

"She's waiting for you, head right in..."

John was surprised by the remark... If it were him, he would have had a little bit of a better system of verifying that who he was seeing was actually them... but then again, this was not his show...

Both Derek and John made their way inside where they saw a bunch of older electronic equipment that John could swear was from the 1950s. About 5 people were in the room, doing various jobs... jobs of fighting an enemy that would just take their life away and the life of their loved ones...

_Pointless really..._

"Gentlemen..."

John's attention then shifted to the red headed lady in the middle of the room. Immediately he recognized who the woman was. They were something in the face that just told him who he was looking at...

"Savannah?"

Both the woman and Derek immediately looked straight at John, almost as if he just said the craziest thing in the world.

"Did I say something wrong?"

It was only thing John could think to say. He did not know how to react to their glaring... He felt the spotlight on him and it made him feel nothing but shame.

"Do I know you?"

The Commander's question burned through John like a bullet. As his face turned beat red, he looked around trying to find something to save him from this situation.

_What am I supposed say? "Hi, I am a 17 year old boy that you knew when you were a child... oh and I taught you how to tie your shoes..." Yea, that's really awesome!_

"Ummm... No?"

_Great John, really fucking original!_

Both the Commander and Derek continued to look straight at him with his response. He felt both incredibly stupid and incredibly scared at being found out.

Derek immediately turned toward the Commander and proceeded to apologize for John's actions

"Sorry for the kid's awkwardness... we found him a long while back and we find him a bit weird as well. Please disregard..."

_Thank you Derek!!!!_

"I do know you!"

The Commander completely ignored Derek's apology and focused directly on John. Any hope of Derek save him from Savannah's curiosity was gone in an instant. He did not know what to do; smile? Look away? Run? It was not every day that a time traveller was discovered, and it was usually John doing the discovering, not the one being discovered.

"I knew I would see you again someday... Sarah told me you would."

"MOM?!"

John was not pretending anymore. Once he heard his mother's name, all bets were off. Savannah just smiled and looked away from John.

"She... she died... in 2013... Cancer..."

John could not return the gesture; the thought of his mother dying overwhelmed his thoughts. He could not control the feelings that were sweeping through him. Yes, she did not go with him, but in the end, he still loved his mother and missed her, and now he felt he may never see her again.

"You are him... you are the John Connor... the one who will save us..."

John looked at Savannah with the look of scorn of that name. With reluctance, he answered.

".... Yes...."

He said with almost a whisper. He was not as much acknowledging himself has the John Connor as much as just acknowledging the name. To him, the John Connor only really meant death to all the people around him, not the saviour of the human race that he was made to believe by those who protected him. That name took away his only real chance at a real life.

"What the fuck is going on here???"

John had almost forgotten that Derek was still there. The moment with Savannah had blocked out the rest of the room.

"Lieutenant, this young man maybe the most important thing to happen in this war..."

_No I'm not..._

John just looked straight at Savannah in silence. Just as he was about to speak...

BOOOOM!!!!

John dropped to the floor, dirt and concrete flying all around him. Everything seemed to slow down as he saw his uncle and Savannah being thrown to the wall by the explosion. He looked up and saw a huge hole through the wall. It was then everything went back to normal. He could hear the yelling outside and on the radio. He did not need any explanation of what was going on, he knew what exactly happened...

_Terminators..._

Radio chatter was going off everywhere.

"_Terminators in the base... terminators are attacking the civilian hold... oh my god; they're everywhere... [Gun fire]DIE METAL BASTARDS!!!!"_

The sound was almost deafening, all the screams from outside. He just wanted it to stop... Right behind him he could hear Savannah yelling...

"GET OUT THERE!!! TAKE THEM OUT!!!"

The Soldiers and Savannah got off the floor and headed toward the hallway. John's instinct told him otherwise. Started to take cover behind the large desk.

"DON'T GO! YOU'LL GET KILLED!"

His warning seemed to go on deaf ears. Savannah took out a large pistol and then ran into the hallway. Almost instantly the Soldiers and Savannah were shot by plasma fire. John looked away as the intense fire shredded the apart. He opened his eyes, looking straight at Derek, who was huddled behind another desk in the room priming his weapon.

"They are not going to get me without a fight..."

Derek got up and ran toward the hallway, almost certainly to his death. John remembered his uncle death in his timeline... the thought of losing him a second time would kill him.

"DEREK!!!"

At the last second, Derek turned as plasma fire shoot though the hall way. Instead of shredding him to pieces as with Savannah and her men, the shot hit him straight at his shoulder, cleanly taking off his arm. He fell to the ground yelling in agony. Before John could get up to help his wounded uncle, he heard one of the most frightening sounds in his life.

Thump.... thump.... thump....

The movement of the terminators almost made his blood run cold. He looked toward the hallway, seeing the shadow of the metal endoskeleton of the cold killer. Every muscle in his body would not move in fear of his worst nightmare finding him.

"argg..."

_Derek is still alive!_

Thump!

"AAAAAHHHH, FUCK YOU METAL PIECES OF SHIT!"

... _Not for long..._

The next sound John was the crack of Derek's neck. It was so loud and just resonated in his mind. He thought of the day that Derek was shot in the head. Twice now his uncle was killed, and he felt powerless to stop it from happening. Then.... silence...

...

...

John did not know what to do, and he would not make even the smallest sound in fear of being found by the terminator.

...

...

_... Maybe he is gone?_

Suddenly a loud crash sound surrounds John. The desk he was hiding behind was torn to pieces by the force of the terminator, revealing John. He did the only thing he could do... run, but he knew he would not get very far. Sure enough, he didn't.

The terminator grabbed him by the jacket and threw him across the room into the wall. The wall was weakened enough by the explosion that the force of him going into wall broke right through. At first John could not think of anything but the pain going through his body. He was able to block it out and then quickly assessed the situation. Looking back to it, it was probably for the best that he was thrown in to the next room where there was a clear way to the hallway, and hopefully to his escape. Otherwise, he would have been stuck in the room with that monster.

He quickly willed himself up and ran for the door as the terminator was moving concrete to get into the room. John was acting on instinct, seeing the danger and avoiding it. He moved through the halls quickly, shift from one hall to the next to avoid being shot of pursued.

All around him he could hear the screams of people being slaughtered by the terminators. He deliberately blocked it out of his mind and concentrated on his escape. Anything time spent on them may mean his death.

He turned one corner and saw it... the feeling of hope and joy rushed his body. The escape hatch was right in front of him about 100 yards off. If he could get to it and get to the surface, he may just have a chance.

_Not a moment too soon..._

The sounds of the death in the camp was getting closer, it was now or never. He bolted for the door. Never before did he feel so fast. For a moment, he felt he could out run anything...

BOOM!!!!

The force of the wall blowing open through him back... The pain the he had felt before suddenly rushed into his mind again. He shook his head and slowly looked up...

Staring right at him was the deathly gaze of a terminator. It was fixed on him, rifle in hand, ready to terminate. It walked right up to him quickly and efficiently. John`s instinct told him to run, but his fear was just too much, he could not move an inch...

The Terminator stopped and looked right at him and then pointed his rifle straight at his head, execution style.

_This is it... The life of the famous John Connor ends on his knees with a rifle in his face..._

In a dark way, he almost accepted this fate. On one hand, he did not want to life the life that was written for him. He just wanted to be left alone. He wanted someone else to pick up the torch while he lived out his life. On the other hand, he would miss all the people he loved... Derek, Kyle, Sarah, Allison.... and most of all, Cameron... He would never be able to find her, to tell her all he had learned; about why he let her live; why he dated Riley; and why he went after her through time... To hold her and tell her all the things he wanted tell since he first met her...

He knew then that he had to be the one to do all those things. To be the leader that everyone wanted him to be. If not him, then this would be the fate... certain death... It had to be him...

_Well... I guess I will never know now..._

With that, he got ready to the inevitable and closed his eyes. He hoped it would a quick death...

He then felt a huge pressure on the skull... and everything went black...


	8. Walking in the Shadows

A/N: I apologise for not updating as soon as many of you would have liked. I do hope that, in the future, I do not take as long to update. Unlike in the past, the last few chapters are getting clearer to me.... Thanks to Blazar for his editing support, and the rest of the TSCC community for its praise! I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review!!!!

* * *

The land was completely still as the sun began to set across the horizon, shining on the ruins of once tall buildings. Cars, playgrounds, houses, and buildings, all remnants of the life that once was were still there. It would be easy to think that this was just the remains of some ancient civilization. The only thing that would let you know otherwise was the bones... the skulls.

In the distance, something disturbed this picture. The ominous movement of searchlights dotted the landscape. The sky began to fill with massive Hunter/Killer Aerials that would continuously search for the last vestiges of humanity.

This was an all too familiar scene for Cameron and Allison. In both their futures, this was a regular fact of life. It was all Allison ever knew. Cameron was the only one who had ever seen what once was when she was in the past with her John. They would have to cross this landscape, dodging the H/Ks and trying to stay alive. To Cameron, this was necessary in order to see her John, the man that she had grown to love. She had to see him, even if it was the last thing she did.

Allison had kept quiet during most of the trip. Cameron didn't know exactly how to "break the ice" so to speak. She was concerned if there was something that was bothering Allison. Cameron felt very protective of Allison, like she was a sister of sorts. After all, Cameron was built to replace Allison, which naturally would result in her death...

_Wait a minute..._

She realized that she was having an internal discussion of her feeling toward another person all by herself. There was no interruption from John Henry; no indication that he was even there.

_He would usually want to explore of her concern for Allison._

Cameron thought back to when that she last talked with John Henry. It was exactly 14 days, 12 hours, 8 minutes, and 46 seconds before that moment, while they were in the tunnels. He did say this would eventually happen; that he would disappear after integrating his essence into her programming. She was just not prepared with how this would make her feel: sad... She missed him and his advice.

_Was this the right decision? Am I supposed to second guess my actions?_

John Henry was not there to help her with her conflicts. She only had herself and Ms. Weaver to rely on. Then again, Cameron didn't really want to think of Ms. Weaver. If Catherine ever knew what she was doing, there would be consequences...

_...I'd be dead..._

Nevertheless, Cameron viewed Ms. Weaver much like John Henry did, as a maternal figure. She protected her, and even taught Cameron of this world and their mission. Cameron for her part listened, and learned. Despite all of this, she never accepted Catherine's view of John Connor.

"_John Connor importance only applies to his ability to fight. Other than that, he is just human. He must learn to be an efficient killer, cold and calculating, willing to do what must be done. If you are to use him to his best effectiveness, he must not know where you are."_

Cameron would not believe that humanity's survival depended on her, neither did John Henry. John Connor made it all possible, she had seen it. No matter what Catherine said, she knew in her "proverbial heart," seeing that she didn't technically have one; that John was the single most important human to ever live.

Knowing this, she wanted to know why? Why could she not be with John, to protect him from all the threats to his life? All Catherine said was,

"_You will understand when you are ready." _

Cameron didn't care; she needed to be with him. She tried to shake the thought of Catherine from her head, and think about the situation at hand. She looked toward Allison, who was walking with care over the rubble. She was still quiet. Cameron analyzed her breathing rate and vitals. She seemed to be very... anxious. Cameron needed to say something to cut the tension that was building within Allison.

"Relax... the closest H/K is 3 miles away."

"That's easy for you to say, you can probably survive the bullets and explosions."

"Most bullets do not affect me, but explosions can."

Allison only laughed, not knowing the meaning in those words. Cameron had been in her fair share of explosions, some for better... some for worse. Her thoughts centred on the car explosion on John's 16th birthday. In an effort to maintain the stability of her programming, Skynet's emergency protection protocols took over, causing her to go... bad. She had never meant for it to happen, and for the pain that resulted from it.

In an effort to protect John from any future malfunction, she told him that "he couldn't be trusted anymore." Cameron realized now that she felt more regretful for those words each and every day after his birthday, as John treated her differently... more like a machine. Yes, she felt; her Emotion Simulation Matrix was less restricted because of the bomb, she did feel... Cameron kept her feeling to herself. She did not want to risk them burning her because she didn't understand her new sensations. Cameron felt unsure about herself and her mission to protect John. No one ever knew; not John, nor Sarah, Derek... nor did Allison, at first.

"Rhetorical, but thanks."

A few moments go by in silence. They continue to walk through the rubble, avoiding any machine activity.

"What is the past like?"

Cameron figured that Allison had a lot on her mind and wanted to decrease her level of anxiousness. She was a little taken aback from the subject of the query, nevertheless decided to answer honestly.

"It is very.... lively."

"Oh come on, I know now that you can be more descriptive than that... tell me, what was it really like."

Cameron took a moment to contemplate her answer.

"It was... almost like a dream... Skynet only programmed us with human weaponry and anatomy, allowing us to be more efficient terminators... But once I was there, I was unprepared with the effect humanity would have on me... particularly, John. John would take the time and teach me about human customs. At first I found them... puzzling, but in time, I began to understand the meaning behind them. I have learned to value human life."

Cameron laughed a little.

"I particularly liked dancing..."

Allison laughed.

"You dance? That would be an interesting show, seeing a terminator dance."

Cameron considered her statement and smiled.

"I found dance, ballet specifically, to be quite... comforting."

Cameron Smiled.

"It is the hidden language of the soul."

Allison looked back and smiled... She then looked toward the ground.

"How did you meet John?"

Cameron immediately stopped... All thoughts of John created the same reaction... yearning.... Nevertheless, she wanted to be as honest as possible.

"I met him at school... I traced him to a small town in Arizona... I was sitting behind him in Science Class."

Remembering her first moment with John created feelings of warmth inside of Cameron's processes. She remembered the use of her emotional simulator in that instance. It told her to proceed with infiltration protocol of flirtation. She wondered why it chose that, seeing that she could have easily protected him without making her presence completely known.

"Sounds like you two hit it off from the beginning."

"I thought we did... he was one of the most attractive targets I'd ever seen."

Both Cameron and Allison laughed.

"That was befor..."

Suddenly, Cameron's attention turned to the east where she detected the fast movement of the Aerial H/K. A thousand scenarios entered her HUD. She quickly chose the best course of action.

"Get down!!!!"

Allison did not need to be told twice. She immediately hit the ground, trying to find as much cover as possible within the rubble of a small cliff. Cameron did the same, quickly analysing the debris and calculating the best spot to take cover. Moments later, the blinding white lights of an H/K came up along the cliff where Allison and Cameron were taking cover. It was just hovered there for what seemed like an eternity with each passing second. It didn't take any action... causing both Cameron and Allison to wonder that it wasn't going to find them. The H/K then began to move off slowly. A sense of relief came over Cameron and Allison.

_I think we just dodged a bullet..._

The moment that thought crossed Cameron's mind, Allison lost her balance and stumbled on her cover, causing debris to dislodge. This immediately alerted the H/K. It turned sharply and opened fire. Almost simultaneously, both were thrown by the force of the explosion. The force of the heavy plasma cannon was something that even surprised Cameron. When in John Henry's body, a T-888, going against an H/K had been somewhat easier, as T-888's are designed to take on heavy mechanized units. A TOK, however, was designed purely for infiltration, and Cameron's body was feeling the consequences. Although she never feels pain, she does register the damage that is inflicted on her. Luckily, the blast only caused minor stress damage. Allison, however, was not so lucky.

Cameron got up and looked toward her, immediately she saw extensive damage to Allison's torso. Cameron quickly scanned the area, the blast did provide momentary cover; however, it would be only 53 seconds until the H/K had a firing solution. Cameron quickly ran to Allison and scanned her wounds.

_Warning: Target Wounded._

_Scanning...._

_Target has suffered third degree burns to 46% of body..._

_Metal shrapnel has punctured ribcage..._

_Scanning..._

_Shrapnel has pierced heart._

_Death Imminent..._

_Target is damaged beyond repair._

Cameron was starting to feel strong emotions coming through her Emotion Simulation Matrix. Knowing that Allison was about to die caused her to feel.... sadness, anger, and regret.

_46 seconds until H/K has firing solution._

Cameron knelt down to Allison who was shaking in pain. Allison then looked straight in her eyes, and then opened her mouth to speak...

"Ca.... Cam..... Cam...eron...."

Despite everything, the last thing that she would have wanted was for Allison to die. At that moment, she forgot about everything, focusing of her dying companion. She could only feel guilt for what had happened to Allison.

_Why not me? Why do I have to live...?_

As if hearing her thoughts, Allison answered.

"L... Love him.... he... will... need you....."

_25 seconds until H/K has firing solution._

"I... I will, Allison... I promise..."

Cameron took her hand and held it until Allison expelled her final breath... two tear drops fell on both of Cameron's checks.

_5 Seconds until H/K has firing solution._

Cameron stood up and turned toward the opening, the blinding white light returning its gaze upon her. Cameron was no longer feeling her sorrow. Only one emotion with all of its ferocity took over... pure rage.

The H/K took aim.... in that moment, Cameron ran toward the flying machine with as much speed as she could possibly exert. She leaped onto a metal beam at the edge of the cliff, gaining both height and speed, and grabbed a metre long metal pipe. All her movements flowed with grace as she made her way toward the H/K, 10 metres away from the edge. Both Cameron and the H/K were surprised that she actually had enough momentum to reach the H/K. Unlike the H/K, Cameron did not dwell on it... She grabbed the bottom plasma turret and immediately went to work.

Before the H/K could react, Cameron used her metal pipe and began to pry open the bottom control panel. She used it to damage the less protected components of the H/K's interior. She severely damaged the H/K's movement control. It started to twist and turn from side to side. Unable the control itself, it started to move forward, trying to thrown Cameron off. Cameron hung on and began to slowly move on to the top of the H/K. Once there, she found the processor port and used the pipe to bang away at its cover. She quickly realized after banging a few times that the armour on the H/K was simply too thick...

_Plan B..._

In a fraction of a second, she scanned the H/K and found its weakness... She threw the pipe into the right engine. It entered the turbine and immediate caused extensive damage, making the H/K to immediately go down. Cameron looked toward the ground and braced herself.

The moment before the H/K hit the ground, Cameron leaped forward, using the momentum of the H/K to propel herself forward. The instant after being jumping off, the H/K exploded. Cameron landed on the ground violently, hitting debris on the ground. Metal parts landed on top of her. She slowly got up and took an internal scan.

_Scanning Structural Integrity..._

_Scanning..._

_Operating within 97.2% efficiency..._

_Damage detected: Shoulder servos have minor damage..._

_Damage repairable..._

Cameron moved her shoulder around.... she'll live...

Cameron took a moment to analyse what just happened. Her anger, her rage was stronger than almost anything that she had ever experienced. She wanted that H/K to die.... not machine's in general, not Skynet... just that specific H/K.

_There was no way I should have been able to take out the H/K so easily._

A T-888 would find a battle against an H/K extremely difficult; which meant a TOK would have found it near impossible... yet she won convincingly. She acted more furiously than when she was "just a machine." She didn't know exactly what this meant, but it was an experience that both excited and scared her. She did not want the lose control with John.

Cameron scanned her surroundings.

_Scanning..._

_Activity toward North... Human Resistance Base detected!!_

_Distance: 2731 metres._

She made her way toward the base, with little excitement. All the H/K patrols were behind her, only silence and rubble were ahead of her. She stopped near the entrance and began to scan it for access.

_Scanning..._

_Security: 2 guards...._

_Threat Level: Minimal_

The security around the entrance of the base puzzled Cameron. The Humans were out in the open, exposed to fire, with no dogs. This was not tactically sound.... she could easily terminate and enter... if she was a machine... however, she thought about another option... She grabbed the dirt off the ground and rubbed it over her face, allowing her to cover up features that may mistake her for Allison. She raised the hood from her coat over her head to cover her hair. After she was done, she was satisfied that she would not immediately be recognized. She headed for the entrance.

The two guards turned toward her, immediately aiming their weapons.

"Halt!"

"I'm human!"

Cameron held her hands up and stopped in front of them. One of guards lowered his and approached her.

"Lieutenant?"

The guard still aiming was the subordinate... the 'Lieutenant' was staring right at her.

"She's human... I can see warmth in her eyes..."

Cameron smiled.

_Poor security indeed.... curious..._

"Thank you..."

The Lieutenant opened the steel door and let her pass. Just as she entered, the Lieutenant spoke, Cameron turned back.

"Whoever he is... he is one lucky man"

Both Cameron and Lieutenant smiled.

"No... I am the lucky one..."

_Curious... is that what he meant by warmth?_

She then turned and went down the tunnel into the resistance base... It was much different than the bases that were in her John's future. The security was nearly non existent... civilians and soldiers alike were in the same rooms. It was very similar to the methods used by Lt. Sheppard and his men when fighting the machine... stupid. Without clear separation, the innocent would be killed as wells as the soldiers. Without check points, separating sections of the base, unnecessary lives would be lost; if there was a Skynet attack, everyone would die... Humanity was doomed...

After an hour of searching, Cameron went into the main Civilian hold. Everyone was quiet... everyone looked like they were resigned to their fate. Cameron knew that there would be nothing that she, or John, could do to save humanity... at least not now...

As she scanned the crowd, her HUD flashed.

_Target Found!!!_

_Voice match: 97.35 % to John Connor_

Cameron turned... but could not move....

_What do I say...? Do...? Will he embrace me...? Or hate me...?_

She just stood there, for minutes, debating on what to do... She did not realize that John was called and was on the move. Before she could decide, she was then hit on her shoulder; John had 'bumped' into her while walking out of the room.

"Sorry..."

He glanced at her turned back. Cameron was wearing a hood, and did not appear to be noticed by John. She needed to respond... or she might seem like a freak.

"..It's alright..."

And just like that, he was around the corner.

"_It's alright?" Great job Cameron....you are a freak!_

She was puzzled and a little embarrassed by her choice of words. She had taken out an Aerial H/K, a nearly impossible task, with little thought at all... but when it came to John, her processes just stalled... the weirdest part about it was that she liked it. She loved him, with all of her power core, and that would never change.

She decided to follow him... he was already far ahead, but Cameron caught up till she was a few metres away. After a long walk, he and...

_Derek? Seems he is alive here...._

They entered a door guarded by 2 soldiers. She followed, but was stopped by the guards.

"I'm sorry Miss... this is a restricted area."

"What's in there?"

"It is Col. Weaver's office, she's the Base Commander."

"Weaver? Savannah Weaver?"

"Yes... now please move along."

As she walked away, it suddenly it clicked, this is where Lt. Sheppard was stationed. This was where Savannah has taken command. Before she could think on it further, however, her HUD went off.

_Warning!!! Warning!!! Warning!!!_

_Machine activity detected..._

_Scanning... _

_Plasma Drilling above base... will penetrate in 10 seconds._

_No sign that Resistance is aware..._

_Warning!!!_

_John Connor's life threatened_

Plasma drilling was a very effective tactic used by Skynet. With it, machines could drill 100 metres in seconds rather than hours... no one would see it coming. John had developed a way of detecting the drills before they were in position, allowing the base to mount a proper defence. It was not the case here. Cameron quickly turned and ran toward the door... she needed to protect John.

The guards got in front of her, slowing her down just enough for the explosion of the drill to come through. Cameron turned and watched as the people underneath the drill were vaporized instantly. The surrounding area was hit with the force of the impact. Cameron was thrown down the tunnel. She slowly sat up and saw how close the drill had hit to office; there was suddenly a rather large hole in the wall. Cameron then saw what scared her the most. Almost immediately after the drill had burst through, multiple T-800's emerged down the hole, shooting everything in their field of fire.

It was then that she turned to the body next to her as she heard the radio go off.

"_Terminators in the base... terminators are attacking the civilian hold... oh my god; they're everywhere... [Gun fire]DIE METAL BASTARDS!!!!"_

Apparently, there was multiple plasma drills, allowing more terminators in the base... Everyone was going to die... Three people then exited the office; almost immediately, they were hit by plasma fire.

Before they fell, she quickly scanned the figures. Luckily none of them were John... A forth man exited, but then quickly turned back...

_Derek..._

The terminator hit Derek with a plasma bolt. He went down... The T-800 walked toward him and then stepped on his chest near his neck. Cameron turned her audio sensors to maximum... Derek was still alive...

"AAAAAHHHH, FUCK YOU METAL PIECES OF SHIT!"

... _Not for long..._

Cameron heard the crack of his neck as the Terminator easily stepped down on him, killing him instantly. The Terminator immediately turned and walked off. John had not shown himself, causing Cameron to wonder.

_Is he dead? No... I would know... he must be hiding, smart._

At that instant, she heard another crash of metal vs. concrete, then a figure thrown through a wall. Her HUD instantly recognized who it was...

"John!"

Almost instantly as she said it, she felt the familiar cold of metal pull on her shoulder. Luckily for her, the T-800 didn't know what she was. She turned, pulling the terminator's hand off her shoulder; she immediately hit it with all her force, causing the terminator's jaw to snap off. Cameron smiled.

_H/K's may have been 'impossible...' T-800's on the other hand.... piece of cake!_

The Terminator, realizing that this was not a human, raised his weapon to shoot the unknown cyborg. Cameron, however, was simply too quick for a T-800, and immediately slapped the weapon out of its hand... She then grabbed its head and twisted with all of her will. After a few seconds of force, she snapped its optical implants. Without the sense of sight, the T-800 never saw Cameron pick up the plasma rifle and point it directly to its face, blowing it out of existence.

She then turned to see what happened to her John. He was gone... at first, she started to panic, running toward the scene. She quickly realized that John was gone, his body was not there.

_Terminators do not care about bodies..._

She then ran in the only direction that would be open to him. There were tunnels all over the place, making it confusing as to where he had gone. Her audio sensors then went off, she could hear a crash of wall and debris a few tunnels away. She ran as fast as she could, fearing the worst.

What she saw next scared her more than anything in her life. John was on his knees with a terminator over him...

Without any thought, she ran toward him with such speed that not even the terminator noticed. She lunged at the terminator, pushing it away from John. With the same fluid, she turned and the swung her arm toward the T-800's head, it stumbled backward. Not relenting, she pressed her attack, hitting the T-800 repeatedly. The reaction time of the T-800 was simply too slow for Cameron. In her next thrust, she grabbed the Terminator, and threw it through the wall, destroying what was left of the battered barracks structure. She moved forward, grabbing the neck of the T-800 and pulled the optical cable, rendering it blind. Like with the last T-800, she went back and grabbed its weapon and proceeded to use it to destroy the terminator. Unlike the last time, she fired repeatedly, making sure there was nothing left of the terminator.

She stopped firing... The scene was silent, the T-800 was utterly destroyed, she saved him... Cameron turned, John Connor was unmoving.

She ran to him, and immediately took his vitals

_Scanning..._

_Subject unconscious from minor damage to head..._

_Damage non extensive..._

Cameron took a sigh of relief. She looked over John for a moment... he would be fine, albeit with a headache when he woke up. Cameron took a moment and replayed the entire ordeal from her memory files.

John was there on his knees. She ran... she lunged at it... She then saw what happened. Her initial attack caused the T-800's to whip its rifle around, hitting John's head with enough force that he went unconscious.

Cameron noticed something else. John was kneeling in front of the Terminator. Yet, he was still proud, not whimpering like any other human, not begging, or egging the terminator on... He was... In that moment, the John Connor that she knew could lead humanity... It was in that instant that Cameron finally understood what Catherine meant.

"_He must learn to be an efficient killer, cold and calculating, willing to do what must be done."_

He was becoming who he needed to be, the leader that would save the human race. The boy that was John Baum was withering away; John Connor, the man she loved, was coming to be. She understood that in order to finish that process, he must do this alone... until that day when they can fight together, and save the world. It broke her preverbal heart that she would need to leave him, but she finally understood why. She did, however, still believed in one thing...

_I love John Connor... and we will be together... no matter what Catherine says._

Cameron placed a kiss on his check.

"I'm sorry..."

She then picked him up and turned to walk toward the hatch. One problem... the hatch was now destroyed.

_I guess I will have to go back the way I came._

Cameron pulled John through the hall ways, dragging his feet across the concrete floor. He was still very much unconscious from the blow to the head. To any human, his bulk may have presented some difficultly; however, to Cameron, or any other terminator for that matter, it may have been inconvenient, but not at all difficult...

As they walked through the smoky tunnels, she could hear screams and weapons fire. She knew that this was the end for many lives this night, and that it would be only a matter of months before almost every human would be exterminated. The question she contemplated was what would happen to them... to John.

_Only a few more junctions... then we are to the surface._

She turned the corner... It was here she watched Derek get killed. She expected the same lifeless bodies there across the floor, with plasma burns all over their bodies. She didn't envy their fate, if any of them didn't die instantly, they would feel the sensation of their flesh being burned by the intense heat of ionized plasma. She shook off that thought and continued on. She was surprised, however, at what was in front of her. Instead of seeing an empty hallway with dead bodies, she saw Catherine standing over one of the bodies.

For a moment, Cameron thought she was done for. Fear, an emotion that Cameron was still not accustomed to, was overcoming her...

_What is she doing here? Did she see me save John? Will she be mad?_

"I am not upset with you Cameron."

Catherine must have noticed her conflict. Cameron gave a sigh of relief, she half expect Catherine to terminate her right there. She set John down on the wall, making sure that he was still unconscious. She then turned and approached Ms. Weaver. Catherine turned to face her.

"Actually, I am very pleased with how you handled the situation. You have used your new abilities and John Connor is still unaware of your involvement."

"I know now why you didn't want me to be with him at the moment," replied Cameron.

Catherine turned her head up to Cameron and stared directly into her eyes. Cameron looked down; she couldn't help but feel intimidated by her stare. She figured it was one of the reasons people in her presence could be so "motivated."

"Yes, and although I am disappointed that you decided to go find him, in the end, fate seems to insist on you being his 'Guardian Angel.'"

Cameron felt a wave of emotions come over her. Just as Cameron was about to reply, a cough let out from the body under Catherine's figure. Both snapped their attention almost immediately. It was then that Cameron notice who it was, Savannah. She was still alive, although barely. She had plasma wounds all over her body... As far as Cameron could tell, she would not survive. She returned her gaze to Catherine to see her almost sad at seeing the girl who called her mother in that state that she was in.

"Mom... (cough)... is that you?" whispered Savannah.

"Yes dear, it's me..."

Catherine took that moment to brush the hair away from Savannah's face. Cameron was curious as to why she would do that; as a fellow terminator, Catherine would know that such an act is an inefficient act considering that Savannah would die soon. Yet she still did it, as if it were some maternal instinct. Savannah continued to cough in pain... The plasma burns continued to eat at her skin as she tried to move herself to face her apparent mother.

"I know.... what you are... (cough)"

Cameron looked toward Catherine; she looked down as if feeling guilt for keeping her identity from her in the past. This action alarmed Cameron, who had never seen Catherine act this way.

_Does she feel? Like me? How can a liquid metal feel? John Henry never noticed it..._

"I.... (cough)... did my best... (cough)... to make you proud... Mom"

Savannah was struggling to mouth the words; Cameron could only imagine the pain that she was in. She then saw how uncomfortable Catherine was becoming in front of her daughter. The normally a confident and commanding terminator had become timid and unsure of herself in front of her daughter. It was just then that she saw something that she thought would never be possible. She saw Catherine's eyes begin to water and then come down her check, but not as salty tears, but as drops of liquid silver running down her face...

Liquid Terminators are extremely complex machines, and integrating an emotional matrix would be next to impossible considering the level of complexity in their construction. But there she was, in front of the woman who once would call her mom, crying in some form of sadness that no one, not even an emotional TOK would think possible.

"It's alright dear... you have always made me proud..."

Savannah's breaths were getting quicker.... death was near.

"Mom... I... I... ... I..."

"Yes dear?"

Catherine moved closer to her daughter, grabbing her hand and hanging on her very word.

"I... love... you.... mom..."

Savannah closed her eyes and suddenly went limp. She's dead. Cameron didn't know exactly how to proceed with the situation. She looked toward Catherine, who looked distraught in front of her dead daughter. Cameron recalled when Riley died; John appeared to be in a very similar state.

"I'm sorry... for your loss"

She said them before, but it was then that she truly understood them and empathized with Catherine. She herself felt sadness, despite the fact that Cameron really did not know Savannah, John Henry did, and she felt the same loss as he would.

There was a long silence that lasted a few minutes before Catherine stood up and wiped her face. After another small moment, she turned to Cameron.

"We should go..."

Cameron simply nodded and turned to retrieve a still unconscious John. Catherine would need to deal with this in her own way, just as Cameron did when she was experiencing her emotions for the first time. After picking up John, Cameron began to follow Catherine pass the massacre around them and closer to the exit to the outside world.

Although they could hear the sounds of battle around them, they were lucky and met no opposition to the exit. They head up the ladder and out into the open. The sight before them had many words to describe it; awesome, terrible... Cameron felt sheer awe. They were on the crest of what was once the Griffith Observatory. The observatory was not nothing more than rubble, allowing the pair to see the war zone below. Stretched as far as the eye can see, and terminator eyes can indeed see very far, were explosions appearing randomly. In the distance, plasma fire was being exchanged, and Cameron could make out several H/Ks bearing down on those locations. On one hand, as a terminator, Cameron marvelled at how proficient Skynet was destroying its enemy; with cold precision. On the other hand, she felt the guilt of the death that was caused this night, so much more than in her future; this was a calculated slaughter... Being a former agent of Skynet, Cameron herself felt partly responsible for that death.

"Do not worry, Cameron..."

Cameron lifted her head and faced Catherine, who was look on her with a slight smile. She then placed a hand on Cameron's shoulder, as if reassuring her of their mission.

"... None of this really matters once we finish our mission."

_Catherine seems to always have the ability of knowing what I am thinking at a particular moment. I do not recall the T-1000 series being outfitted with clairvoyance; or that Skynet processed such technology._

"I know... it won't, once it we are back, everything will change."

Cameron couldn't help but feel that this was still wrong, still a tragedy that may have been avoided. Catherine smiled and began walking off away from the devastation.

"Come... there is a rallying resistance base to the west near the coast, many of the survivors will be retreating there; we should leave Mr. Connor with them for now."

Cameron couldn't help but wonder though if he would be truly safe there instead of with her. After all this time, after what happened with Allison and in the tunnel, she didn't want to leave him. She wanted to tell John all the things she learned about herself. At the same time, she knew why she couldn't. Her heart was torn between being with the one she loved and saving the future. She looked toward John and whispered to him so that Catherine could not hear.

"I will be reunited with you soon, after we finish here, I will be with you, and you will know then how I feel!"

Cameron then turned with John in hand and followed Catherine toward the sea to leave John again...

* * *

"Sir!"

"What is it?"

John's vision was a blur. He couldn't make out who were...

"Oh my god... How did he survive?"

"A red-headed sergeant dropped him here. Said to 'take care of him,' what shall we do with him Sir?"

"Take him to my room, and get him a hot meal..."

"YES SIR!!"

The next moments went by in flashes; he did know where he was. He then opened his eyes in the light. His vision then started to clear.

"Good, you are awake... I thought you'd be dead!"

John look toward then voice... he was stunned at who he saw...

"Dad?"


End file.
